New Life
by TurtleWexler
Summary: Lela's been having problems. She keeps finding herself in dangerous situations, and she doesn't have a clue how.  A few of the original book characters were used in the making of this fanfic. Most chapters are less than a web page in length.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, Kayla! I hope this was okay with you! I sure would have loved it if someone would do it for me when I get published. ^^ Enjoy the very very very short chapter one.**

**Disclaimer: The Unspeakables belongs to Kayla Rivera and no one else. **

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I wasn't sure what was going on. It was dark, and extremely spooky. Nothing looked or sounded familiar. _Keep walking,_ a voice urged me. I thought about turning back. _No, _it insisted. _Keep moving._

All I could remember was that one minute I was roaming the sidewalks of New York, and then… nothing. Absolutely nothing. The next thing I knew, I was in this dark place that may or may not have been a subway. Then I heard a noise. The _whoosh_ of an oncoming subway train.

"Crap," I said, looking for a way to get back on the slight platform. "Crap, crap, _crap!_"

Suddenly I could see the lights from the underground train coming right for me.

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**The only reason I made this so short was because I didn't have time to type all I wanted to, but I very badly wanted to show my sister what I'd done. My dad wants the computer, so I'm going to have to go. ^^**

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ok, so here's chapter 2. I'm hoping to clear things up later (for you and for myself, because I have no clue where this is going either). ^^**

**Disclaimer: Kayla Rivera owns The Unspeakables.**

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I looked up at the platform-thing, wondering how on God's green Earth I was going to pull myself up without any upper body strength to speak of. The lights drew closer and I managed to let out a shriek before I tried to flatten myself against the side of the platform. Suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist and hoisted me up, nearly dislocating my shoulder.

"What are you, _insane?_" my rescuer asked just as the subway _whooshed_ past.

I rubbed my sore shoulder and tried to see the silhouette of the person who'd saved me. "Don't even try to figure out why I was down there. I hardly know myself," I growled. I wasn't sure why I felt so grumpy.

"So you have _no idea_ how you ended up in the middle of a subway tunnel? How is that even possible?" The male voice sounded almost as irritated as mine.

"I blacked out, okay? It happens sometimes," I explained, knowing this guy wouldn't believe me for a second. "Last time it happened, I woke up in the middle of a road." I pressed a hand to my face. "Almost got splattered by a pick-up, but I managed to move in time, and the driver turned off the road when he saw me."

"Multiple Personality Disorder?" the guy asked after a minute.

"I have no clue. I never _did_ anything when I blacked out before. I just… ended up somewhere else. Usually somewhere dangerous. Not on purpose or anything," I added. "It usually feels like I hardly use any time at all to do it, but that would just be crazy."

The guy sighed, then grabbed my arm.

"Hey!" I tried to pull myself away, but he held fast.

"If you want to get aboveground, you'll come with me. Be careful where you step; it gets slippery after it rains."

I rolled my eyes and followed.

He brought me to a subway grate. Under it, bricks looked like they were laid unevenly, creating hand- and foot-holds. The lowest ones were at my thighs, and I couldn't pull myself up to step on them.

The guy, which I now could see was wearing a hoodie and some old, torn jeans, sighed. He ran a hand through his short, dark, wavy hair.

"I'll give you a boost," he said, lacing his fingers together.

I took his offer, and grunted a "thanks" as I pulled myself onto the bricks. He came up beside me and knocked the grate aside so I could get out.

He pulled the grate closed behind me and hopped back down before disappearing into darkness.

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**How do you like it so far? It's sort of mysterious to me, too, so don't freak. I'll figure it out! ^^ Next is a short bio for Lela. **

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	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the bio I mentioned. Hope it's not too revealing/short/boring. ^^**

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Lela Callaway. That's my name. I used to live in a little town in Michigan. That was before the black-outs. My last black-out in Michigan was in the middle of school. Diane Crenshaw, a Popular, was teasing me about my family's financial status when I blacked out—just for an instant, I thought—and woke up in New York City. Fortunately, I ended up on a sidewalk, and not on a street where I could be quickly turned into mush.

My parents were split-up. Divorce wasn't an option at the time of the fight; money was a huge issue. I think the fight set off my first black-out. I was eight. They stayed separated for nearly eight years before I somehow ended up in NYC.

I wandered around, trying to figure out where I was. When I had, I wasn't too happy. I had no money to return home, not even enough to feed myself for a day. I quickly found myself a soup kitchen just to survive. A homeless shelter to sleep and keep clean. It wasn't much at all, but I saved every coin I found on the street as I walked the same few blocks I knew I couldn't get lost on. I knew I'd never get enough to go back home, but maybe I'd get enough to treat myself to some ice cream one day.

I was on one of those change-seeking walks when I realized how long I'd been away from home. The thought sent me into another black-out that put me into another scary situation.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Introducing: ALEX! I'll probably give him a last name later. ^^**

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_For Pete's sake. What is _with_ these people?_ I found myself thinking as I heard the shriek of a girl in the path of a speeding subway train. I didn't have time to roll my eyes before I bent down to grab the wrist that was reaching up to the platform.

I grunted under her weight as I pulled her up. The subway barely missed her.

"What are you, _insane?_" I asked, barely seeing her silhouette against the stark black of the tunnel.

"Don't even try to figure out why I was down there. I hardly know myself," she said. I raised an eyebrow, but the effect was lost in the dark.

"So you have _no idea_ how you ended up in the middle of a subway tunnel? How is that even possible?" I asked dubiously.

"I blacked out, okay? It happens sometimes," she said. Oh_, great, I just rescued a lunatic._ "Last time it happened, I woke up in the middle of a road." _Now she's going to stalk me for life._ "Almost got splattered by a pick-up, but I managed to move in time, and the driver turned off the road when he saw me."

I only had one explanation: a suicidal second personality. "Multiple Personality Disorder?" I suggested.

"I have no clue," she sighed. "I never _did_ anything when I blacked out before. I just… ended up somewhere else. Usually somewhere dangerous. Not on purpose or anything. It usually feels like I hardly use any time at all to do it, but that would just be crazy."

I sighed and took her arm to lead her out.

"Hey!" She struggled, but I didn't let her go, in case she sent herself falling back down onto the tracks.

"If you want to get aboveground, you'll come with me. Be careful where you step; it gets slippery after it rains." I had the strongest feeling that she was rolling her eyes at me as she followed.

I took her to the nearest subway grate, where I knew for a fact that bricks served as a ladder. I could see her now; the daylight shining from above illuminated her pale blond hair. She stared stupidly at the lowest bricks, and I realized she must've been athletically-challenged.

I dragged a hand through my hair.

"I'll give you a boost," I forced myself to say, holding my hands out for a foothold.

She pulled herself up, (_Was that a "thanks" I heard?_), and then I realized I had to push the grate out of the way for her.

I climbed up next to her and used one arm to knock the grate loose and push it out of the way. She climbed out, and I pulled the metal grid back into place before climbing down and leaving her to find her way home.

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	5. Chapter 5

**NOTE: In case you don't remember, this is RIGHT AFTER Alex goes back down into the tunnel. ^^**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my characters Alex and Lela.**

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I looked around, finding myself in an unfamiliar place.

"Well, that's just great," I muttered. There was no way I was going to ask a stranger where to go, and I didn't have any of my change on me, except the nickel I'd found before I blacked out.

I decided to wander around a bit to see if anything at all looked familiar.

I started to freak out when it began to grow dark, wondering if I'd ever find my way back. After about fifteen minutes walking around in the fading light, I realized I was being followed. Forcing myself to remain calm and not look back, I tried to keep from being isolated on the sidewalk.

About thirty minutes had passed before I realized crowds were dispersing. It was getting pretty cold, and I was suddenly glad I let Mollie, from the shelter, lend me her coat. I pulled it tighter around me as I struggled to find a single familiar street or sign, or even a crowded place.

As snow started to fall, I was ever more aware of the presence following behind me, and my calm demeanor was beginning to falter. I started to walk faster, knowing that the man following me wasn't after money. The streetlamps switched on, illuminating an alleyway ahead, among other things. I knew for a fact that if I couldn't get past this alleyway before the man caught up with me, I was as good as dead.

"Hey, miss!" I heard him call.

_Oh, man, oh, man, oh, man…_ I thought, walking faster. _If I black out now, I'd consider it a blessing, even if I end up in front of a car._

"Miss, you dropped this!" I glanced back for a second to see the guy hold up a crisp green bill.

_Crap, crap, crap!_

He was a good twenty feet behind me, but closing in, and I realized the lack of an alleyway made no difference. I began running in earnest, tears pouring down my face, wind biting. I heard his heavy steps behind me, and knew without a doubt I was done for. But I still couldn't help crying out.

I screamed, though I feared no one would hear me.

The man's steps were so much closer now, and I knew that no one would make it on time.

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	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, again! Thanks so much for reading! **

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I swear, I thought I'd gotten rid of the crazy subway chick back when I helped her get out of the tunnel. Somehow I knew when I heard that scream that it wasn't just any girl taking off down the sidewalk—it was Crazy Subway Chick. I let out one of those, can't-believe-I'm-doing-this-again sighs before making my way down the fire escape on my building.

When I got to the bottom, I caught sight of her running toward me, an older-looking dude on her heels with something scary etched in his face. I hid around the corner in the little alley by the apartment building, waiting for just the right moment.

I snagged her and covered her mouth before hiding us both on the rank side of a dumpster. I was afraid her heavy breathing would give us away, but the man was dead set on catching up with the girl that was no longer in front of him, and his footsteps covered up the noise.

When he was long gone, I let go of her.

"You're really a danger magnet, aren't you?" I asked incredulously.

"No kidding. I've been trying to find my way back to…" she trailed off. "Well, home, and I haven't seen anything familiar since I blacked out earlier today." Her breathing was back to normal, but she really looked shaken up.

I helped her stand up, but her legs were unstable and nearly collapsed. When I knew she wasn't looking, I looked at the sky and wondered to myself why I was about to say the dreaded words.

"Umn…" I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "My parents'll let you stay at our apartment. They wouldn't let you wander around all night, and after what just happened, neither would I." _Man, I sound like a freaking dork._

She actually breathed a sigh of relief. _Am I the only one who thinks this is awkward?_

"Thanks."

We made our way up to the apartment, and my parents didn't freak out or anything. My mom, whom I thought would have the worst reaction, gave her a _hug_ before pulling out the couch bed, among other things. She was fussing over Crazy-Subway-Chick-Lela like a freaking mother hen.

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**Haha I know I'm not supposed to have favorites, but I think Alex is my favorite. ^^**

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	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry to keep you all waiting-here's Chapter 7!**

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Of _course_ I accepted the guy's offer. I'd nearly been squashed by a subway train and was chased down by a would-be rapist in the same day! Plus, I wasn't about to spend a snowy, chilly night _outside_ and _alone_.

When we got up to his apartment, he explained my problem while leaving out my… _problem_.

"…and…" he said, trailing off where my name should be.

"Lela," I interrupted.

"_Lela_ can't find her way home."

His mother immediately scooped me up into a hug, which I found comforting after a week and a half of being away from my own mom.

Things got a little awkward when we were discussing sleeping arrangements.

"I'd tell Alex to let you have his bed for the night," she said as she pulled out the couch bed, "but he probably hasn't cleaned his room in a while, so I hope the couch bed will be okay." I glanced up at Alex, whose face definitely went pink for a bit.

"I'll be fine, Mrs. Mitchell." I hefted the blankets and pillow she'd handed me, trying to keep from dropping them as she stretched the sheet over the thin mattress. Alex and his dad disappeared into the kitchen when I wasn't really paying attention.

"Do you want to call home, to make sure your parents don't worry?" she asked. I shook my head.

"My, uh, mom has third shift," I said, my voice almost catching on the lie. "My dad doesn't live with us anymore."

She sort of gave this understanding nod before following her husband and son into the kitchen.

I put the pillow on the bed before laying the blankets down one-by-one. After I crawled under the blankets, Mrs. Mitchell returned with a glass of ice water for me, which she set on the end table, and turned out the light.

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**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**This is my longest chapter yet! **

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Let me just say that breakfast was waaaayy more awkward than the night before. Alex and I had to make up a history of at least a week, and an explanation for why he didn't know my name when he introduced me.

When the dreaded phone call came back up, I decided to call the shelter, ask for Mollie, and pretend I was calling my grandmother's work number. Mollie sure caught on quick, though.

"Lela, where have you been?" she asked, fretting like a real grandmother would.

"Sorry, _Granny_, I got lost."

"_Granny?_ Oh, Lela, what sort of a mess have you gotten into this time?"

"Sorry, Gran. I didn't think to bring any extra change with me yesterday. I'll be home soon, okay?"

"You bet your sweet bottom you will."

"Alright, Gran. See you soon!"

"Bye, Lela."

I hung up.

"Thanks for letting me use your phone," I said, hopping down from my stool and handing Mrs. Mitchell the phone. "Looks like I'll be walking home, then."

"Now, wait a second," Alex's mom said. "You shouldn't be wandering the streets. Not after what happened last night. Here." She handed me a few bills. "Take the subway home. Be careful, and don't take car rides from strangers."

I laughed. "You sound like my mom."

"I suppose she has the same handbook, then," she joked.

"Thanks for… well, everything," I said, getting Mollie's coat back on.

I said goodbye and left. I was halfway to the corner when Alex caught up.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" he said.

"What do you mean?"

We crossed the street and kept going.

"The last time you were in a subway, you were nearly run over."

"So? I got there by accident."

"And now you're going there on purpose?" he asked, "Smart move, Lela."

"Well, at least this time I'm getting there the right way."

"As opposed to magically appearing there. Right." He rolled his eyes, and I smacked his shoulder. "All I'm saying is I'm not letting you go home by yourself after what happened yesterday. You're a freaking walking target."

"Oh, so I'm a _freaking_ walking target, huh? Well, I guess I passed just plain old 'walking target' back when I got here in the first place," I huffed.

"What are you _talking_ about?"

I stopped and whirled to face him. "I am not from around here."

"Well, I could've told you that."

I glared at him. "Shut up for a second and listen, will you? I am from _Michigan_." I clenched my jaw as I felt tears coming on. "One day, I just blacked out and ended up _here_. My family is still _there_ and I'm _here_. I don't have a _home_. I don't have a-a _granny_. I have a freaking _homeless shelter_."

His face sort of transitioned from shocked to are-you-mentally-stable to concerned.

"Did you not think to _call_ them?"

"Are you _kidding?_" I started walking again, wiping my face on Mollie's coat sleeve. "It had hardly been twenty-four hours when I called, claiming I was in New York City. They thought it was a prank call, mostly because who freaking goes from Michigan to freaking NYC, without money for a plane ticket, in less than a day?"

We went underground, and he was silent for a minute.

"So… how long has it been?" he asked awkwardly. "Since you saw your family, I mean."

"Gah, I don't know." I looked up at the ceiling. "Two weeks? Three?"

I bought a few subway tokens, stuffing most of them in my pocket for later and handing Alex one.

"Man," he said, flipping the coin and catching it. "I don't know if I could stay away from my family that long before I'm ready."

We went through the turnstile in silence and boarded the deadly underground train.

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	9. Chapter 9

**Haha I have to say this was my favorite chapter! ^^ Enjoy!**

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Don't ask me why I did it. I don't think I could give a straight answer anyway. Okay, I probably could. I'm stupid. I'm a freaking idiot. That's probably the best answer I can give you. No… it was probably her eyes. Her freaking _ice-blue_ eyes. I can tell you it had nothing to do with her danger magnetism. At all.

And that "blacking out" crap. Why on Earth would I buy that? Oh, right. She cried. She freaking _cried_. What the heck's a guy to do, huh? Tell her she belongs in a freaking mental hospital?

And maybe I _wanted_ to believe her. Maybe… I wanted magic to exist. I mean, what person doesn't hope there's something mystical about the world? Something that can't be explained by science? Or religion, for that matter? Ugh… no. It was just those… _eyes_.

Ugh, I am such a freaking _dork_. I mean, where was all this mushy crap _coming_ from? I never sounded like such a mushy noodle-head in my freaking _life_.

Anyway, so we get on the subway, and Lela refuses to sit down, right? And she's gripping the metal pole like it was the only thing keeping her alive. Her knuckles were straight _white_. Then, she looked up at me for a split second, and was gone.

Not dead-gone. _Gone_-gone. Like, _vanished_. I'd half-hoped she was telling the truth, but when I saw her freaking disappear, I think I just about passed out. Okay, so I _did_ pass out.

When I came to, this Hispanic girl was patting my face, trying to get me to wake up.

"Dude," she said with a heavy accent (it sounded kinda like "doot"). "You okay? You fainted and hit your head."

I sat up, kinda feeling woozy. "You mean I passed out?"

"No. You straight-up _fainted_. You made this little girly noise too." She laughed, probably at the look on my face.

I got up and managed to plant myself on an empty bench, glaring at the girl, who got off at the next stop. I decided to just wait for the train to get back to where I lived, and hoped that Lela hadn't gotten herself into any more trouble.

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	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! Here's chapter 10! It's sort of short, I know, but the next chapter is reaaally long.**

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I found myself in an alley somewhere. I had no clue where, and I wasn't very interested in that particular detail. All I was interested in was the man I saw coming toward me and how to get away from him.

_Crap, crap, crap!_

A glance behind me told me that the back exit was out of commission. Before I could raise an alarm, though, I was on a roof; the one that was to the left of the alleyway. I watched the man stop, look around confusedly, and leave, all from above.

The weirdest thing, though—I hadn't blacked out. It was like I'd moved in an instant. No black-out. No sudden difference. Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me and whipped around to see another guy—definitely younger than the man below, probably nineteen or so, and with better intentions.

"Who are you?" I asked, not feeling much danger in where I was or who I was with.

He sort of gave a half grin before replying. "My name is Nathanael. Sorry to be such a bother, but we can't talk here."

Before I could register what was happening, I was somewhere else. Somewhere sort of dark, but rather comforting, all the same.

"Lela," he said. "I don't know if we can tell you all in one day, so I guess Elizabeth can start you off. I'm not very good at explaining things." He gave that half smile again before disappearing.

A girl, not much older than me, came down some stairs and gave a little wave.

"Hello, Lela. Sorry we couldn't get to you sooner about this, but it's all in the timing, and of course, Nat knows _all_ about time."

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**I sort of feel like I couldn't do much with Elizabeth and Nathanael in this chapter and the next two. Not sure how I wanted them to act, but the way I wrote them is just me trying something that may or may not work. I hope it works out... ^^**

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	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks so much for reading!**

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Elizabeth motioned for me to sit, and I looked behind me and noticed the sofa. She sat in a comfy-looking chair across from me.

"Um… Not to be ungrateful, or anything, but what's going on? And how do you know my name?"

She sort of sighed, clasping her hands together before she spoke. "Lela, you may not have realized it, but you are one of a special group of people. We call ourselves The Unspeakables." She closed her eyes for a moment before continuing. "Some of us have special gifts, called Endows, that are a physical protection. The others have an inner light—a protection for the soul. An Unspeakable with this inner light is called a Basis."

Elizabeth got up and went over to a small table, pulling open a drawer and withdrawing a rolled up piece of paper. She came over and sat by me, unrolling the paper across our laps. I could see now that it was a map of the US.

Elizabeth pointed to a point on the map, indicating the area I used to live in.

"If all had gone well, the partnership that would be explaining this all to you would be Eve and Henry. But when you made that big jump," she dragged her finger across the map to where New York City should be, "they watched, and decided to transfer that responsibility to me and Nat."

I looked up at her as she rolled the map back up, and saw her slight grin. "What?" I asked.

"Well, it _is_ rather funny that the Endow that is to teach you has power over time, and you have power over space." She let out a laugh.

I took a deep breath, trying to take in all of this information. "So… when I black out…?"

"You're really just teleporting. I suspect the black you see in the instant you jump is just things moving by you too fast to be recognized."

"And what Nathanael was doing…?"

"He can manipulate time. Usually he just stops it, walks to where he wants to be, then starts it up again." She got up, put the map back, then turned on a lamp. "I don't understand why he insists on making it dark whenever we inform an Unspeakable about their abilities. It's ridiculous."

"How did he get me here without me knowing he stops time?" I asked, now curious.

"As long as he doesn't touch your skin, you don't wake up. It's a little unsettling to wake up somewhere with no recollection of how you got there, but I assume you have a lot of experience with that." She tucked her red hair behind one of her ears. "I think I've told you enough for one day."

"Wait. Just one more question. Why now? Why didn't anyone tell me anything before, or whatever?"

Elizabeth sat in the chair across from me again. "The Unspeakables are fighting a never-ending battle. It's against what I like to call evil-incarnate. Most everyone else calls it the Primordial Darkness. You remember last night, don't you? The race for your life?"

"I—uh, yeah." I wanted so badly for her to elaborate on the battle part of the explanation, but I knew it wasn't going to happen. At least not that day.

"The Primordial Darkness is a society that's been around since before the Earth was created." She paused. "Remember what I said about it being evil-incarnate?"

I nodded.

"Well, The Unspeakables are light-incarnate. We are the natural enemy of the Primordial Darkness. They have what we call hunters." She visibly shuddered. "I'll explain those in more detail some other day, but what happened last night was the cause of a hunter. I hope you remember what I said about an Endow and a Basis."

I had to think for a moment. "Yeah. One is physical protection, and the other is… uh… spiritual protection."

"Yes. Well, hunters can get us either way; because you are an Endow, you have the power to protect yourself against a physical attack." She made small gestures with her hands as she spoke. "But an attack at your soul could end badly. That was their goal last night. You weren't known to the society until your big jump. And we didn't intervene before because until you got lost, you had that lady that works at the shelter. She kept you out of trouble well enough." Elizabeth tapped her toe a few times before continuing. "But you were left exposed last night, and if it weren't for your friend, we might have lost you." She looked at me intensely for a moment before shifting her gaze to the lamp. "That's enough for today."

Nathanael popped in a moment later, a kid doubled-over, coughing, by his side. I only recognized him when he spoke.

"You _have_ to quit doing that, man. I'm gonna be sick."

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**Please review! Tell me what you think, because my sister is a bit biased. ^^**


	12. Chapter 12

**Um... haha Would you believe that I write about three of these in a day and hardly edit them at all?**

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I didn't know what the heck was going on. I got off the subway at my stop, and for some reason, the place was crowded. I'm talking _packed_.

Right after the subway pulled out, some idiot shoved me. I ended up losing my balance and falling down onto the tracks. After I regained lung control, I wasn't really worried because I could climb back up somewhere else and get out through a grate, but when I tried to roll over, I couldn't. I was freaking _stuck_.

I could hear the next subway train pulling in and realized I was as good as dead. Worse off, even. I was wishing I had Lela's crazy teleport-thing when I found myself upright, without my hoodie, on an empty platform that wasn't as empty as I'd thought.

"We're picking them up left and right today," said a voice behind me. I turned and saw a guy, not much older than me, grinning his face off. I clutched my stomach as a wave of nausea came over me.

"What… the _heck_ was _that_?" I asked when I could talk. The guy laughed.

"Ah, _that_ would be the disorientation from moving a long distance in very little time," he said. "My name's Nathanael. I apologize for before, and in advance."

I hardly had the chance to get out the word "what," before I found myself in a dimly lit room, swooning from the nausea and dizziness.

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**I've gotta say that Nathanael is my second favorite now. ^^**

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	13. Chapter 13

**Ok here's chapter 13. ^^**

**Didn't have time for three chapters today...**

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"Ah, crap," Alex said, sitting on the floor with his head between his legs. "I don't know how you do it, Lela."

I shrugged. "It never really bothered me." I turned to Nathanael and Elizabeth. "Is he one of us too? What happened?"

Elizabeth looked at Nathanael, and he explained. "Yes. The Primordial Darkness caught wind of him when he helped you yesterday. Usually, a Basis is under the radar much longer than an Endow, which is why he's never been brought here by now. He nearly got hit by a subway. Which, I understand, is how you two met in the first place."

Alex groaned as he got up. "What the heck are you guys going on about?"

Nathanael walked over to Elizabeth, kissed her on the cheek, and said, "Sorry, Liz. You're going to have to explain all over again."

"It's fine." She wrapped her arms around his waist and put her cheek to his chest. I looked away, feeling like an intruder. "Hurry back."

"No worries," I heard him say. Moments later I found myself in front of the homeless shelter with Nathanael. He gave a two-finger salute and a half-grin before disappearing.

I turned, feeling somewhat disoriented from the shift, and entered the building.

Mollie rushed at me and hugged me tight. "Lela! What are we going to do with you?"

I took off and handed her back her coat. She took it and led me to the cafeteria, where they were serving lunch.

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	14. Chapter 14

**I was wondering last night... How can you guys tell whose POV the chapter is in? Then it hit me. Alex talks funny. ^^**

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I wasn't sure I liked what I was hearing from this Elizabeth chick. I mean, isn't it a bit much for a bunch of teenagers to defend themselves and the human race against evil-incarnate? I mean, it's okay for those of us with these Endows, these superpowers. But what about people like me? What on earth do we have to work with? Right. An "inner light." Big whoop.

After a few more minutes of trying to explain it all, she just stopped talking and looked right at me. I wasn't sure what she was doing. She just… I don't know, stared at me for a minute. She seemed like she was concentrating, or something. But then I realized what she was doing, because I could _see_ it. A light in her eyes that wasn't just a reflection. I could actually _see_ her inner light.

She caught the look of amazement on my face and grinned, saying, "You can see it, can't you? I can see yours. It's actually pretty bright. I'm surprised you can't feel it yet."

I wasn't sure what she'd meant, even after Nathanael took me home. It was weird, for one thing, to even think about. I mean, Elizabeth started telling me about the whole "this little light of mine" thing. Why couldn't she just finish explaining it to me? Was it seriously so hard to explain that I had to figure it out for myself?

I almost mentioned something about it to my parents that night, but I figured that if I hadn't heard about it before, it would be best to just keep my parents ignorant.

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**Sorry this is so short. I'm trying to make longer chapters, but it's been crazy trying to write this thing. If you've read my other fanfics, you'd notice this fanfic is WAAAYY different from my others.**

**Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Whoo! Chapter 15!**

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Monday morning, Mollie came into the caf with a weird look on her face.

"Lela, something just… _arrived_ for you," she said. I followed her to the front door, where a box sat with my name on it. "Where did you disappear to the other day? Who's sending you stuff?" she asked, not prying, just asking.

I shrugged. "I didn't tell anyone where I stay, Mollie."

She watched as I opened the box. In it were a coat, a hairbrush, a toothbrush, a tube of my _specific_ brand of toothpaste, and a stick of deodorant. I eyed the contents before looking up at Mollie. "I think someone's trying to tell me something about my personal grooming," I said, half-joking.

She sort of laughed as I tried on the coat. I wasn't surprised when I found it fit. I stuck my hands in the pockets and almost froze when my right hand hit something. I pulled my hands out of my pockets and tried to act casual.

The shelter gave out these little knapsacks to newcomers; I ended up putting all the stuff from the box into mine. Mollie told me to hide it as well as I could; the other people from the shelter might try to take it.

I slung my knapsack over my shoulder, change jangling in the bottom, before heading outside. I walked a full block and rounded a corner before pulling out the paper that I'd discovered in my pocket. It was a note.

_Lela_

_We would like for you to stay with us until you master your Endow and make your way home. Your friend Mollie has been doing a good job of taking care of you, but we haven't had anyone to look after since Zachary left. If you would like to accept our offer, stop by the little café you like so much. I'll be there._

_Elizabeth_

I stuffed the paper back into my pocket, wondering, _Who's Zachary?_

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**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**MORE ALEX! ^^**

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When I woke up Monday morning, I wasn't feeling very well. When I caught sight of a piece of paper taped to the outside of my window, I remembered why.

I slid my window open a few inches, stuck my arm out, and snagged the paper. Before I could get a look at it, Mom called me to breakfast. I stuffed it under my pillow, swung my legs to the other side of the bed, and stumbled out the door.

For some reason, breakfast was unusually quiet. I wasn't sure if it was because of the surprise guest the day before, or the fact that it had taken me longer than expected to get back home, and without an explanation.

"Alex," my dad said, moving his scrambled eggs around on his plate. "Should your mother and I be concerned?"

I shrugged. "About what?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Your absence yesterday. You weren't…?" He trailed off, waving his fork around.

"No, Dad!" I dropped my spoon in my cereal bowl. "I'm not stupid!" Mom took that opportunity to go to the bathroom.

"Now, Alex, I didn't say that," he said, his moustache twitching nervously.

"You implied it. That's all it takes." I downed the rest of my orange juice and went back to my room.

When I was done getting ready for school, I had about five minutes to spare, so I used that time to read the note that was on my window.

_Alex_

_Elizabeth and I have more to tell you. If you could stop by the library after school, we'll be there to elaborate on what Elizabeth told you yesterday. Try not to be late._

_Nathanael_

_PS: Tell your parents where you're going._

I shoved the paper into my pocket with a little more force than was necessary and grabbed my bookbag.

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**Please review! It's the only way I know you're reading-my Hits chart isn't working anymore.**


	17. Chapter 17

**YAY! LONG CHAPTER! I've been wanting to post one of these for a while. Yay!**

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Elizabeth sat across from me in the café, sipping coffee.

"I hoped you'd come. Nat offered to _step forward_ a bit to see if you would, but unlike him, I like surprises." She smiled at me warmly, her dark blue eyes sparkling with the wisdom of the ages.

My bag was in my lap, and I fiddled with the straps as I spoke.

"Um… I don't drink coffee," I said, eyeing the whipped-cream-covered mug in front of me.

She nodded. "I know. That's hot cocoa."

After an awkward moment, I picked up the innocent piece of white ceramic and took a sip. It was just at that point where it was starting to be cool enough to drink.

"So," I started again. "After you and Nathanael unofficially 'adopt' me, will there be any extensions to my previous, um… lessons?"

"Oh, of course," she said, taking another swig. "I can tell you a bit more now while we wait for Nathanael. He probably won't come until exactly when our conversation is over anyways."

"Right. He's got perfect timing, doesn't he?"

She laughed and nodded. "Do you remember what I told you yesterday?" she asked, going into teacher-mode.

"Um, basic stuff. What a Basis is, what an Endow is, something about fighting evil-incarnate…."

"Okay. Now try to remember what I said about the protections. One is for…"

"One is a physical protection, and one is a protection for the soul," I said automatically.

"Right. In other words, both _together_ is a force to be reckoned with." I nodded dumbly, not quite getting what she meant. She sighed, knowing I wasn't on the same page as her. "Lela, have you ever heard the term 'soul-mate' before?"

"I…" Suddenly it clicked. "Oh! You're saying that each Unspeakable has a match!"

Elizabeth grinned. "Yes. Because you're an Endow, your Basis match, your partner, is out there somewhere. Most of the time, they're not too far off, though." She finished her coffee before continuing. "Nathanael is my partner. He's my husband." She leaned forward across the table, lowering her voice. "How old would you say Nat and I are?" she asked.

I chewed my bottom lip before answering. "You don't look much older than me, but your eyes say 'wise beyond your years.' And he looks maybe two years older than you. I've learned, these past couple of weeks, not to judge things by the way they look."

She gave an approving nod. "Nathanael and I are nearing a hundred years in existence. Technically, with his toying around with time, Nathanael is much older than I am. He was born the same year as me, but his Endow caused him to lose time, so he was possibly around two years older than me when we found each other. You see, when you find your partner, you stop aging."

I looked at her for a moment. "Is that it? You just look at each other and BAM you know you're partners? Or is there something you're not telling me?"

Elizabeth gave a sly grin. "I figured you'd catch that. There are five basic rules, laid down by the first Unspeakables, designed to make the lives of the rest of us a bit easier. Number one is the one that applies to today's lesson. Do not kiss until you are sixteen. Care to guess why?"

"Um… well it's obvious from the way you said it that kissing binds partners, but why is it important for us to be sixteen or older?"

She pursed her lips. "Lela, have you ever heard the term 'teenage pregnancy'?"

I blushed a deep red, not wanting to go into this conversation at _all_. _Oh, my flipping gosh_.

"I take it you have," she continued. "Well, there are certain… _complications_ that arise in under-developed girls who—"

I cut her off, speaking hurriedly. "You know what? I know where this one's going. Can we please change the subject now?"

She sighed. "At least let me say that it certainly looks weird to people to have a couple of teenagers who want to get married nowadays. Usually they jump to conclusions, and things get messy."

I gave her one last pleading look.

"Oh, all right then. Okay. Rule number two is also related to today's lesson; wait for your partner. Things can get rough if you fall in love with someone who's not your true partner. I'll leave it at that." She grasped the end of one of her fiery locks. "That is the end of this lesson."

After a pause, in which I finished my cocoa and wiped off my whipped-cream moustache, I asked, "Shouldn't Nathanael be here already?"

She looked at me thoughtfully. "I think he's giving me more time to mention something. Oh, right. Because he's the Endow in our partnership, he'll be helping you master your Endow. I'll be telling you your daily tidbits of important information still, but you're a rarity. Not many girls are Endows, and yours is a force to be reckoned with, all on its own."

Right as she finished that sentence, Nathanael entered the café and strode up to his wife, stating that his half of the day's work was done and giving her a kiss that wasn't meant for the public.

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**Please review! (I can explain Zachary later. I didn't have a chance to in this chapter. ^^ )**


	18. Chapter 18

**Haha I think you guys'll love this one. ^^**

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After another stressful day at school, I called my mom to tell her I was going to the library.

"For business or pleasure?" she joked.

"A little of both," I said, rocking back on my heels. "There's this book I've been waiting for, and I'm sort of hoping it'll be there today. And one of my friends wants me to meet him there." Then I realized what I'd just said. "D-don't worry, or anything. I'm helping him study for his history class."

I heard my mom sigh on the other end. "It's fine. Your father's just worried you'll turn out like he did. Or worse, like one of his brothers. Just don't overreact, and I think you'll both be fine."

"Alright mom. See you later."

"Bye, Alex. Love you."

"Love you too, Mom."

I hung up.

Nathanael was waiting for me at a table near the back of the library.

"_Please _tell me we're not doing anymore freaky time travel stuff," I hissed.

He shook his head. "No. Liz wanted to apologize for not coming, but she's busy right now, doing other things. She wanted me to explain a few things to you."

"Like what?" I asked, wondering if he was going to elaborate on what she said the day before.

"Well, she explained what a Basis is, and what an Endow is, right?" he asked.

"Um… yeah. We have two different kinds of protection, right?"

"Exactly. Do you see where this is going?" I looked at him, deadpan. "Ah, I guess not. Well… hm… What would be the best way to explain this?" he muttered. "Let's try this: A Basis and an Endow have two separate types of protection. One can protect spiritually, the other physically. Together, they are both fully protected against anything the Primordial Darkness can throw at them. Is it clear yet?"

"As mud," I growled. "When do I find out about how to use my 'inner light'?"

"Patience, young Padawan. Can't you see that I am trying to fully explain the dynamics of a partnership here?"

_Oh, man. Did he just say what I think he said? Have I crossed into Nerd-Central or something?_

"Okay. How about this one: every Unspeakable has his or her own partner. Each partnership consists of a Basis and an Endow. The two match up perfectly, like…" He started to snap his fingers, as if he were searching for a word that was escaping him. "like… HA! Soul-mates!"

The sudden outburst drew a bit of attention from a librarian and a few browsers.

"Sorry!" he whispered before continuing. "Anyway, once you find your partner, your soul-mate, you stop aging. Liz is my partner. And my wife. So don't you so much as—"

I put my hands up defensively, cutting him off. "I wouldn't dare," I said, afraid the guy was going to whip out a phaser or something.

"Oh. Good. Well, then… Ah, one more thing. Elizabeth is going to be your instructor, as far as you figuring out how to use your light. Usually, it's the girl in the partnership that is a Basis, but you're part of a rare potential partnership."

I stared at him for a minute. "Are you telling me that I'm… weak?" I raised an eyebrow.

"No! No, no, no. It's just that, well, I'm part of a typical partnership, in which the girl is a Basis. I wasn't implying—"

He cut himself off by disappearing into the time-stream. I rolled my eyes before getting up and going to look for the book I'd been waiting for.

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**Haha I just realized that my Star-Wars-Obsessed sister doesn't read fanfiction. ^^ Oops. This one was just for her, too. (Oh, and I know Phasers are from Star Trek; Alex confused himself there.)**

**Please review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry I took so long getting this to you guys. I've been busy. And literarily stumped. (Writer's Block is so cliche now.)**

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Elizabeth took me back to hers and Nathanael's place the old-fashioned way. Also known as walking.

It turned out that the place they were staying in was once a small bookstore that had gone out of business. Rather, Nathanael had just… stopped selling books.

"He was tired of seeing them go, so he decided to quit selling them," Elizabeth explained. "Most of what's left of them are upstairs in the spare room, now, instead of down here."

The spare room was where she set up my living quarters. When I went in there, the room had this nice musty book smell. I wondered to myself how long the bookshelves had been there.

My bed was on one wall, the shelves on the opposite. The telltale dents in the dark blue carpet told me that the shelves were once on the wall with the window, but had been moved.

Elizabeth asked me if I wanted to go shopping. I hadn't had more than a spare set of clothes since I'd gotten myself lost, so I agreed.

We were walking down the street when something hit me.

"Hey, Liz," I asked, getting a grin from her. "If you haven't been selling books for a while, where do you and Nathanael get the money to buy what you need?"

"I was wondering when that would come up. When we stopped selling books, about a decade ago, one of our friends heard that we were in a bit of trouble and decided to help out. He never asked for anything in return. His family supports us financially; they set up a business before I was born, and now it's a huge company that's run by his daughter."

"Where do they live?" I asked.

"Oh, last I checked, they live in Boston," she said.

We returned to their place with four full plastic bags. Most of it was clothes, but there were other things Elizabeth decided we needed to buy (excluding groceries, because she'd been shopping earlier that week).

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	20. Chapter 20

**New long chapter! You know you love me. ^^**

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The next time I saw Nathanael, he said I could be conscious of the space-change if I wanted to. But he warned me that it would cost me time. I wasn't sure what it meant, and I never do anything I'm unsure about. Okay, there was that one time I took Lela to my apartment, but I swear, that was it.

Anyway, so Nathanael got me back to his house, or whatever, the way he had been, and when I got there, a trash can was waiting for me to throw up in. Just in case. He told me to wait for Elizabeth. Apparently, she was going to be my "teacher" or whatever.

Not that I was upset about it, but Nathanael also mentioned he'd be teaching Lela to control her power. That meant they'd be going all over the place, and I'd be stuck indoors with nothing to work with but my little light. That I wasn't at all sure I could feel. Which bites.

Elizabeth came down the stairs moments after we arrived. I was feeling sick, but not as much as I had the first time. After Nathanael gave his wife a kiss that made me have to use the trash can, he went upstairs.

Elizabeth went to the kitchen and brought me a glass of water and a paper towel.

"That time-travel really gets to you, doesn't it?" she asked, sort of laughing at me. "I remember my first time. I had to lie down for nearly an hour afterwards!"

"Where'd he go?" I asked when I was feeling better.

"To get Lela. I'm sure they've left already. He's taking her to a park, sometime tonight, I think." She sat in the chair opposite from the couch.

"Lela was upstairs?" I asked.

"Yes. She's staying with us until she can master her Endow and go home." I saw her gauge my reaction when I felt a knot form in the pit of my stomach.

_Crap_, I thought. _When will that be?_ I tried not to let my disappointment show, but I really didn't want to say goodbye to Lela. And the thought that I didn't want to say goodbye made me upset at myself for being such a weenie. The conflicting thoughts in my head must've created an interesting look on my face, because Elizabeth's laughter was what brought me back to the real world.

"Oh, Alex!" she said as her laughter died. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. And I couldn't keep it a secret for long. Nathanael would've let it slip later anyways." She looked at me for a moment, concern slowly clouding her eyes. "Are you okay?"

I looked down at my glass of water, drank the rest of it down, and put it on the armrest before replying. "I'm fine," I said gruffly.

This brought on a new round of laughter. "Don't worry," she said, wiping a tear from her eye, "I won't tell her." This caught my attention.

"Tell her what?" I asked, getting defensive. "There's nothing to tell her."

Then she got this sly grin. "Of _course_ there isn't."

Then it was like neither of us had said anything.

"Alex, have you been able to feel your inner light yet? It's been a few days since I last talked to you about it."

I crossed my arms. "No. I don't even know where it is."

She sighed. "Alex, did you even try?"

I thought about the last few days of hectic anxiety and stressed out parents. "Didn't have time," I said as I slouched.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, looking for all the world like my mother when I told her I forgot to clean my room. "Alexander, you need to be able to practice using your light. If you can't feel it, you can't practice."

I sat up, not at all curious at how scary she could get when she's mad. "I don't know how," I said, feeling sort of sheepish.

Her expression softened as she pressed her lips together. "Alex, where do you feel the most."

"Um… what?"

"Where do you feel the most? What is the one place that hurts or warms when something happens to you?"

I shrugged. "Somewhere between my collarbone and my bellybutton?" I joked.

She rolled her eyes. "Alex, now's not the time to make jokes. You don't have to tell me, either. Just feel for it. Think about something that hurts."

I closed my eyes and thought about Lela leaving. And winced.

"Good. Did you feel that?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Now think about something that really makes you happy."

Somewhere just above the place where I'd felt my stomach twinge, I felt a warmth spread to my toes. I am ashamed to say that thought was also Lela-related.

"Do you know where it is yet?" she asked.

I shrugged again, unsure.

"Think of something else that makes you happy. Try to feel where the warmth starts from."

I mentally probed my insides, and realized it wasn't physical. It was in my soul.

My eyes popped open, and I caught Elizabeth's grin.

"I see you found it," she said. "Now that that's done, Nathanael should be arriving with Lela any second now."

The two of them sort of popped into the living room. Lela gave a small wave before taking off up the stairs. Nathanael winked at me before leaving me on my street corner.

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**Please review! ^_^**


	21. Chapter 21

**I know I was late getting chapters up-that's why I'm putting up more than two chapters today. ^^**

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I wasn't sure what my "lessons" entailed. Liz just told me that Nathanael would be taking me to a park to practice. I didn't even see him before I was in the park; it looked like we'd gone ahead in time several hours to sometime after four o'clock. The sunlight was dimming already when we appeared on the grassy hill.

"Nathanael, you could've warned me," I said as I tried to keep my balance.

"You'll have to get used to disappointment, Lela," he said mischievously. "Alright, who's ready for lesson one?" he asked, cracking his knuckles.

I rolled my eyes. "What is lesson one?"

"How does your Endow work?"

"I asked you first," I grumbled.

"No, that's the title of the lesson, silly." Nathanael started pacing, like he was going to figure out my Endow before I did.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm wondering if your Endow is like mine. You see, I can travel through time, even stop it around me, because I see time as a pond. A long, thin pond, but a pond nonetheless. You see it as a river, raging around you, pushing you mercilessly. You can't get out, but I can see everything and hop around like a frog. You're a fish, and I'm a frog."

I looked at him like he was crazy.

"I know it's silly, but try to follow me on this one. I can pick up any one fish, and, with or without their knowing, take them with me to a different place or time in the pond."

"Frogs don't have opposable thumbs. And fish are slippery," I interrupted.

"For the purposes of my lesson, I am a frog with opposable thumbs, and the fish aren't slippery. Any other disrespectful comments?" he asked. I shrugged. "Good. Now back to the lesson. I, as a frog, being able to move through time, still move at a normal pace. I still have to walk if I want to get from point A to point B. But you, my fishy little friend, can move from point A to point B in an instant, no time-stopping involved. Tell me, what brings on these 'black-outs,' as you call them?"

I thought about it. "Um… maybe extreme emotion. I think that's what it is."

He put his chin in his hand. "That's usually what causes them early on, yes," he muttered to himself.

"Is this lesson going anywhere?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Are you going to stop being so disrespectful? I mean, whatever happened to respecting your elders?" He looked comically miffed.

"Sorry," I said, stifling a giggle. He sort of reminded me of a character from a manga I used to read.

"That's better. Now, I want you to look over at that bench over there." He pointed down the hill, probably about twenty yards away, at a metal bench by a lamp that had just switched on. "Concentrate on it. Try not to overshoot; we're looking for a small jump, here. Do you think you can do it?"

I chewed on my bottom lip and looked concernedly at my instructor. "I don't know."

"Lela, faith is the first step," he said, a finger in the air.

I almost laughed again at the chibi image in my head, but stopped myself. "Alright," I said, uncrossing my arms. "I'll try."

I looked closely at the bench before closing my eyes and concentrating on the spot right in front of it. I took a deep breath, concentrated, and felt the world rush by me. I opened my eyes and found myself twenty yards on the _other_ side of the bench, standing in what I could only describe as crap.

"You overshot it!" Nathanael called from the top of the hill. Then he was right beside me. "You psyched yourself out!"

"Ow! That was my ear!" I said, clutching the side of my head.

He sighed. "I guess that's the end of lesson one," he said. After we washed the dog crap off my shoe, he took me home.

We were back at the bookstore in an instant. I saw Alex sitting on the couch, and Elizabeth in her chair. Before Nathanael could tell them what had happened, I gave a weak wave and ran up the stairs.

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	22. Chapter 22

**Short chapter. You'll probably like it though. ^^**** The last sentence in the third paragraph is a little confusing... you might wanna read over it a couple of times.**

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When I reached my room, I realized that I was blushing. _Blushing!_ As if (besides the dog crap incident) I had a reason to blush!

That night, I'd changed into my new pajamas and got into bed before I realized what it was.

My face must have been the color of beets as I thought about it. It had to be Alex! I hadn't seen him since he nearly threw up in the Whitmores' living room (that's Elizabeth and Nathanael, to those who can't keep up). I had wanted to thank him for helping me that first day, but every time I thought about it, I "psyched myself out," and mentally mentioned that I didn't know where he lived. Of course, Nathanael could've taken me there, but I didn't want to ask him to. I thought he'd think that I was thinking of something besides just apologizing to Alex, and that thought just sent the blood pumping through my face again.

I sighed and pressed my palms into my eyes, blocking out the pale light from the streetlamps outside. _What is wrong with me?_ I thought, rolling over. _The last time this kind of stuff happened to me_—I cut myself off there and started a new thought. _Oh, my flipping gosh. No. There is no way. I can't do this to myself! I have to go home and forget this place!_

Of course, I knew it was too late, and I buried my face in my pillow and made a frustrated noise at it all. _I can't believe I'm falling for Mr. Sarcasm!_ My mind was reeling, and I ended up staying up into the wee hours of the morning.

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	23. Chapter 23

**Here's a little snippet of something I thought you might want to hear. Lela's sort of trying to sleep, so she doesn't understand the extent of the conversation. And see if you can guess what manga and character she keeps referencing. (Suzie, you already know, so don't guess.)**

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Sometime during the night, I heard a whispered conversation between Elizabeth and Nathanael from down the hall.

"Well?" Elizabeth said, sounding expectant.

"I couldn't tell," Nat replied. "I only caught the look on Alex's face when we appeared."

"That's a shame." She really sounded disappointed.

"Are you sure you're reading it right?" he asked. "I mean they live so far apart, and she can't extend so much energy so often!"

"Nathanael, have I ever been wrong?"

The whispers faded, and I rolled over, still unable to sleep.

I woke the next morning to the sound of the whispered, "Hey, Lela. Leeeelaaahh… Wakey-wakey!" I opened my eyes to see Nathanael's face hovering inches from mine.

I screamed.

"Oh, good! You're awake!"

I smacked him in the arm, something I often wanted to do to a certain manga character when I wasn't laughing at him.

He broke into what I heard with my tired ears as maniacal laughter.

When he was done laughing (he was doubled-over in the sheer hilarity of the situation), he managed to speak normally.

"New lesson today. You are going to attempt to go from your bed to the door! Ready? GO!"

I gave him a sleepy-eyed glare before throwing my legs over the edge of my bed and shuffling out the door.

"Aww, you're no fun!" he whined as I made my way to the kitchen for breakfast.

"Quit tormenting her, Nat," Elizabeth called from the living room.

"Why?" he asked, suddenly just behind her. "Jealous?" He kissed her neck, and I swear, I was about to puke.

"Guys! Could you keep the mushy stuff to a minimum?" I grumbled. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I don't want to lose my appetite."

"I hope you know it's almost noon, young lady," Nathanael said in a mock-adult voice.

I saw Elizabeth elbow him.

"What?" he said indignantly. "You always got to say that to Zachary, not to mention Etienne and Rebecca."

I poured myself a bowl of Reese's Puffs before speaking. "Who are they?" I asked, going to the refrigerator to get the milk.

"Our kids," Nathanael answered simply.

I nearly dropped the jug.

"You had _kids?_" I asked, gaining enough motor control to pour my milk and put it away.

"Yes," Elizabeth said. "Zachary's our youngest, and he's living somewhere in Ohio with his partner, Kate."

Nathanael got this disgruntled look as he made his comment. "Etienne and Rebecca are both somewhere in Canada with their partners," he grumbled.

"Nat, what did I tell you about this?" Liz asked.

"Well, they could have at least stayed in the states!"

I nearly spit peanut-butter-and-chocolate-flavored cereal all over the table. I managed to choke it down before I started laughing.

"What?" Nathanael said, sounding more than ever like a whiny toddler.

"It's just that you look like a couple of teens arguing like an old married couple, and the image is just… funny." I grinned again.

Alex came later that day; Nathanael had brought him over after I learned the remaining three rules of the Unspeakables ("Do not tell earth-walkers—the Unspeakables' name for 'normal' people; try to help as many earth-walkers as possible; and do not force."). I tried not to react—heck, I tried my hardest not to be in the room when he arrived—but somehow I messed myself up.

Maybe I thought Nathanael had told him about my embarrassing incident from the night before; maybe that's why I blushed. _Ugh_, I thought, breaking free from Alex's gaze. _It's just… Alex. Crap_. I closed my eyes, feeling three pairs of eyes on me. I felt my heart leap to my throat. _I swear, you can _feel_ the awkward_, I thought, waiting for someone to speak.

"Uh, hey," Alex said after an eternity of awkward.

"Hi," I said, avoiding his eyes. I looked down at the floor as I got up, wondering what color his eyes were, but convincing myself that the awkwardness that would come with it wouldn't be worth it.

The two adults in the room remained quiet as Alex and I exchanged places and instructors.

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**NOTE:**

**Dear mysterious third reader,**

**Please click that little review button down there so I know you're not just a glitch on my Hits chart. ^^**

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	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer (since I haven't posted one in a while): Kayla Rivera owns all the background information, I only own the characters in this story.**

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I wasn't sure what was going on with Lela when Nathanael took me to his home. I caught her gaze for maybe four or five seconds, her blue eyes boring into my soul, before she turned away. I wasn't sure what to think, not even when I saw the part of her face in my line of sight go cherry-red.

I caught the look Elizabeth was giving Nathanael, but I had no clue about that one either.

I felt like I was out of some loop for a while, and it took me forever to find my voice.

"Um, hey," I said, fiddling with one of my belt loops.

"Hi," she said quietly as she got up, looking everywhere except at my face.

I took her place on the couch and watched her leave with Nathanael.

"Did I miss something?" I asked Elizabeth.

"Not really," she said, dismissing the subject. She changed the subject to my new lesson: the five rules of the Unspeakables. I wasn't sure about the "why" in the cases of some of the rules, but my mom always taught me to never question the rules.

After a while, she began telling me about hunters and dangers, and how Unspeakables heal each other after encounters with hunters.

The lessons went on like this for days, and I only got to see Lela for a moment before and a moment after every lesson, and it frustrated me that I couldn't see her long enough to have a conversation.

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	25. Chapter 25

**Whee! New long chapter again!**

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I was starting to make progression the third day of lessons with Nathanael, but his constant tormenting grated on me, and I ended up in a tree on my first successful attempt.

Of course, he wouldn't believe I'd done it on purpose until I could repeat the result; I went to another tree. I realized that as far as I'd come, I couldn't go to places I wasn't looking at yet.

I sort of looked forward to the lessons, and sort of dreaded them for the same reason: it meant seeing Alex twice in a day, even though it was totally awkward.

It was more than a week after that that I was able to go somewhere beyond my line of sight. Nathanael was a good teacher, but he wasted too much time talking.

He was teasing me about Alex when I decided enough was enough and put myself back in the living room.

I saw Alex start when I arrived. Elizabeth looked coolly in my direction.

"Where's Nathanael?" she asked.

"I left him back at the park. He was being a jerk again."

"This is good!" she said, grinning. "You can travel long distances! It won't be long before you can go home."

Nathanael came in that second, looking haggard.

"Liz! I've lost her! I looked every—" He stopped when he saw me, then gave me a glare that rivaled my mom's. "You sneaky little—how did you get here?"

"Same way I found myself in New York," I said.

I could hear Alex laughing at Nathanael, but I didn't look in his direction, afraid of causing another awkward moment. I turned from them and headed upstairs to my room.

Their voices traveled up the stairs, and I couldn't help but hear.

"So, if we're fighting a battle against the Primordial Darkness," I heard Alex start, "then why haven't there been any signs of trouble since Nathanael got me out of the subway?"

"Well," Lena began, "Nathanael's been keeping an eye on you. Well, I've been keeping an eye on you; Nat's just been keeping the trouble away from you."

I wondered for a moment how that was possible, as Nathanael was at home almost all the time, but then I remembered that time-travelers can be in two places at once.

Nathanael broke in. "You wouldn't believe how many people almost run you over; how many times you almost get knocked off your fire escape; how many times I've had to—"

"I get it," Alex interrupted. "I'm a danger-magnet, just like Lela." He paused. "Anything else you want to tell me that I'd rather not hear?"

"Well, Lela's likely able to go home within the week," Nathanael said brightly.

"Shut up," I heard Alex say moodily.

"Well, you asked for it."

"Nathanael," Lela said warningly, "don't you think you're pushing his buttons a little too hard today?"

"Aww, but I was having fun!"

"Too _much_ fun," commented Alex.

A picture of Shigure popped into my head, then one of Alex crossing his arms and glaring at him.

I stifled a laugh.

Nathanael wasn't done yet, though. "You wouldn't believe how many stalkers I caught following Lela the other day. It was crazy! The hunter assigned to our region managed to find one creep after another."

"Shut _up!_" I heard Alex yell.

I ran down the stairs and found Alex on his feet, looking like he was about to hit Nathanael, who had an amused smile on his face. Elizabeth looked worriedly from one to the other, not sure what was going to happen.

"Nat," she said, "You should be ashamed. Darkness has no place in this house, and you're just dragging it in like a stray cat!"

His face fell. "Sorry, Liz."

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to Alex."

I watched him scratch his face before glancing up at Alex and mumbling, "Sorry."

The three of them hadn't noticed me until then.

I couldn't help but notice that when Alex saw me, his features relaxed a bit. _Don't go overboard here_, I thought. _It's just wishful thinking. That's all._

Elizabeth looked a little upset, and Nathanael looked like he could melt into a puddle of shame.

"Are you okay, Lela?" Elizabeth asked, glancing at the two guys in front of her.

I did a quick facial-expression-check, and realized my face mirrored hers. I let myself relax before answering. "I'm fine. What was going on down here?"

"Nathanael was teasing Alex," she said, looking pointedly at her husband.

I allowed myself another look at Alex at the risk of being unable to string together a sentence for a whole minute. He looked… _wary_, more than anything else.

"How much did you hear?" he asked, something I didn't recognize filling his brown eyes.

"Enough," I said. I turned and glared at Nathanael, who took that moment to jump into the time-stream.

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**Next chapter is going to be pretty long, too, if everything works out okay.**

**Please review!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Oh, wow. I went and wrote seven whole chapters the other day. I don't know if I wanna spoil you all with SEVEN chapters in one day...**

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My parents began to worry for me when I kept "disappearing" almost daily. I told them where I was going, but my dad never believed me, and my mom tried to.

I'm not sure how long it was after I'd met the Whitmores that Lela managed her first long-distance jump. I didn't like it much for two reasons: one, she popped in in the middle of our lesson and scared the pants off me, and two, I knew she'd done it by herself because Nathanael wasn't with her. And that meant she'd be going home sooner than I'd hoped.

After a stressed-looking Nathanael made it back, Lela went upstairs. That was when Nat started throwing my misfortune in my face.

"You're in danger every day!" I knew that much. "The girl you like is leaving soon! Haha!" The jerk. And then he went too far. "The girl you like is being followed by sick-minded creeps every time she goes out!"

I seriously felt like making the guy cry, though after a hundred years, I'd expect his tear-ducts to be bone-dry. He got lucky, though. His wife made him apologize for letting darkness into the house, and I realized that part of it was my fault for being susceptible.

Then I noticed Elizabeth's gaze had drifted past us to the base of the stairs. I looked over and saw Lela standing there, a frightened look on her face.

Honestly, my first thought was, _Crap! Does she know?_

The thought, _Did _we_ scare her?_ followed.

After a short conversation with Liz, Lela looked right at me, and I had to know.

"How much did you hear?" I asked.

"Enough." She took that moment to glare at Nathanael, who disappeared.

Relief washed over me; she hadn't noticed.

Lela looked at me for a minute, looked at Elizabeth… her gaze drifted around the room before her eyes settled back on Elizabeth.

"Well, it looks like Nathanael's not getting back anytime soon. Are you guys done with your lesson?"

Elizabeth looked at me, pressed her lips together, then said, "I guess. We can continue tomorrow."

"Okay. Alex," she turned her blue eyes on me. "I can walk with you back to your apartment building if you want." Her face went pink. "Since Nathanael is supposed to be watching us anyway, and he's not about to show his face anytime soon, we should be pretty safe."

I shrugged indifferently, trying not to let my excitement show.

Most of our walk was pretty quiet. The sun hadn't set yet, and there were several pedestrians apart from us.

"So…" I said about five minutes into the walk. "Are you excited to be going home?"

She shrugged. "There are pros and cons. I mean… I'll probably end up grounded for the rest of my life, but at least I'll be home, you know?"

I saw her glance up at me, then look back at the ground in front of her.

Neither of us really said anything else until we got to my building.

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**Haha I think this is one of those stories I actually like writing more than my book! I'll be sorry when it ends. :(**

**Please review!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Wheee! You guys'll like this one!**

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I don't know what made me offer to walk Alex home. I kind of felt stupid after I mentioned it, but once you say something, you can't take it back. And it's not like he said no.

When we got to his apartment complex, we stopped in an awkward silence.

I chewed on my bottom lip for a little while; he scratched the back of his head. I looked at the ground for a split second before he swept me up into an unexpected hug. I was totally out of it for a moment, but regained my mental footing and hugged him back, inwardly railing on myself for not pushing him away. _Stupid, stupid, stupid_, I thought as I pressed my face to his chest. _Now he's going to know for sure that you like him!_

Another part of me thought, _Who cares? He hugged me first!_

As the two halves of my brain duked it out, I was half-aware of the fact that Alex had pulled slightly away and was definitely aiming for a kiss. I reacted a bit slowly, ducking under his arms and taking a step back.

"What—what are you _doing?_" I asked, feeling flustered.

He turned away, definitely hiding a blush, before apologizing.

"I… Uh… Sorry," he said, rubbing his left arm.

"Did Elizabeth not tell you?"

He turned back to me and started babbling. "The rules? I know, I just… I never thought for a second you were under sixteen, and if I had, I wouldn't have…." he trailed off.

I took a deep breath. "No, I'll be eighteen in February. Just… She didn't tell you about the partnership thing, did she?"

"Well, Nathanael tried, but he didn't go into much detail on… wait." He closed his eyes for a second. "Elizabeth once implied that when you find your partner, you stop aging." His eyes popped open. "Oh, man. Don't tell me. Rule number one, right?"

"And rule number two," I muttered.

Alex's face definitely went pink as he brought his eyebrows together. He looked sorely confused, and kind of disappointed. "Wait, so… you don't think we're... Oh, man." He closed his eyes again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't even jump to conclusions like that. Sorry. I'd just… I'd better get back to my apartment." He stuffed his hands into his hoodie pocket and ran up the steps to the door, glanced back once, then went inside.

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**It was so hard for me to write these next few chapters (and the one you just read) because I have absolutely no romantic experience whatsoever. I hope it doesn't affect my story too much.**

**Please review!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Wooo... you are now under my power... You can't help but come back for more... ^^' That's how most writers are, eh?**

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I knew my face was redder than Alex's after he went inside. I don't know how long I stood outside the building before I turned and walked away.

_He thought we were supposed to be…_ I didn't let my thought finish itself, because even incomplete, it made me feel like a horrible person. Watching him flounder like he did made me want to cry. I wanted to say, "Of course I do!" but there was still that part of me that wasn't sure about anything—especially Alex. It was the part of me that wanted to go home, pretend none of this had happened, and live a normal life.

Even after I forced myself to not think about it, my thoughts kept returning to how I was going to have to repeat my senior year in high school because I'd been gone for so long; to dealing with my divorced mother; to dealing with potential step-fathers; and to how I wasn't going to be able to see Alex every day anymore.

I stopped walking when I realized I was getting emotional again, and I could end up anywhere if I accidentally jumped. That was my new official word for it. I no longer "blacked-out."

I took a deep, slow breath before jumping back to the bookstore. It was a long walk anyhow.

"You're back already?" Elizabeth asked as she came out of the kitchen. Then she saw that I had been crying and took off her oven mitts as she approached me.

She took me into a comforting hug, pressing her cheek to my forehead and shushing me as new sobs wracked my body. The both of us sank down on the couch, and she had me tell her the whole story.

"…so now he thinks that I… I—"

"Shh!" she interrupted. "It's okay. Everything will be okay," she said soothingly.

"How do _you_ know?" I snapped.

"Lela, I am a Basis and a mother. I know what I'm talking about. Now let's get you upstairs and in bed with some hot soup; you look like you've caught something."

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**Oh, Pete. How I Met Your Mother is getting to me again. Notice the Canadian speech mannerism above. Never would've happened before my sis got addicted to HIMYM.**

**Please review!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Alex! Yays!**

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I mumbled my greetings to my parents as I made my way to my room. As soon as the door was closed, I kicked one of the legs of the frame of my bed. My entire bed jumped over a couple of inches.

"I feel so _stupid!_"

I clenched my fists, then forced myself to sit down and relax because I could feel my candle dimming.

I closed my eyes and remembered something from when I was younger—one of my teachers—or was it one of my babysitters?—told me to write out my anger because violence never solved anything.

As fast as I could, I found a pen and a notebook and sat down to writing. I wasn't angry—not _really_—just upset.

I started with, 'I found out she's leaving soon,' and went from there. An hour later, my pen was practically smoking and I'd filled about three pages with my tiny, illegible handwriting. As whoever-it-was told me, I felt a ton better, though still sick at heart, and my candle was burning brightly again.

Mom called me to dinner not long after I put the notebook and pen away.

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**Don't you love that he's a writer? You will if you don't yet. ^^**

**Please review! Especially you, mysterious third reader!**


	30. Chapter 30

**^^ I hope you enjoy these next few chapters. I worked day and night to finish them! Oh, don't expect anymore until maybe Sunday. I have to get a good night's sleep tomorrow because I'm taking the SAT on Saturday. Which also happens to be my birthday. ^^**

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Nathanael came back the next morning on time for breakfast. I was in bed with a severe cold virus—I felt terrible.

Elizabeth brought me hot food—mostly soup, except for breakfast—when mealtimes came. The next couple of days after that, I was feeling better and no longer bedridden, but I was afraid to try to jump because I was convinced that if I sneezed, I'd overshoot my targets by a mile.

When Nathanael brought Alex over, I would hide in my room or the kitchen—whichever one I had easiest access to when they arrived. I didn't want him to see me all runny-nosed and phlegmy.

I swear, that virus was a sturdy little thing. It took me over a week to be back to myself, and by then I was afraid of seeing Alex again, runny nose or no. I hadn't meant to hurt his feelings, and I was feeling absolutely horrible about it. I just… didn't want to get tied to New York. I was about to go home, and leave all my memories behind. No homeless-Lela. No coatless-Lela. No parentless-Lela.

I sat on the couch with a mug of hot cocoa, contemplating my horrible experience in being lost in New York, when I realized something. For three weeks—more than half of the time I spent in New York City—I had a home. I had a coat. I had… Well, they were as close to parents as I had seen since I got lost, and they were the kindest people I'd ever met.

I felt my face get red as I realized I was taking for granted what I'd taken for a blessing when they had come into my life. And I was actually looking forward to leaving it all behind; to going back to my broken family and teasing classmates. I closed my eyes and groaned, now regretting going back home. Don't get me wrong—I love my mother very much—but I wasn't looking forward to living with a moody, menopausal woman until I could go to college. Which was going to be in another year and five months because I'd missed more than a month of school.

"What's wrong, Lela?" Liz asked as she sat beside me, a mug of steaming herbal tea in her hand.

"My entire life," I muttered, taking a sip of my cocoa.

"It can't be that bad," Elizabeth said. "I would know; I saw the Great Depression."

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**It's so hard for me to think of a 17-year-old (or so she seems) being old enough to have seen the worst time in the century I was born in. **

**Please review!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Um, yeah... not sure what I was going with here. I hope it all works out...**

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It was a while after I wrote out my feelings that an idea struck me. It sounds stupid, now that I think about it, but when it hit me, I was like, "Oh. Why didn't I think of that before?"

It was right after I got home when I got the idea. I threw my bookbag down next to my bed, dug for my notebook and carefully pulled out all three pages I'd written on. Then I left my room for two minutes—just long enough to find an envelope to put them in—before returning and writing a little more at the end of the last page.

Satisfied with myself, I folded the three sheets of paper to fit in the envelope and tucked them inside. I only glued the tip of the flap down before flipping the envelope over and scrawling Lela's name on the outside.

I made sure to give it to Nathanael that night, right before he took me home. I knew it was risky—Lela might have gone to greater lengths to avoid me after reading what I'd written—but I had to try _something_. I wasn't going to let go without a fight.

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	32. Chapter 32

**Kinda long chapter. I hope you guys like it! I am TOTALLY spoiling you guys!**

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One night, when Nathanael had just come back from taking Alex home, he dropped an envelope on the kitchen table in front of me.

"What's this?" I asked, picking it up. It felt thicker than the usual letter.

"Something," he said cryptically. "It's got your name on it."

I flipped it over and saw my name written in slanted, sharp letters, then slid my finger under the flap, popping it open. I pulled out the contents, which I recognized as three sheets of notebook paper, the fronts of which were filled with tiny, almost unreadable script that matched the handwriting on the envelope.

I read the first sentence and realized it wasn't _to_ me; it was _about_ me.

I ran up to my room with the pages and envelope, abandoning my half-empty mug of peppermint tea.

I hopped into my bed with the papers, pulling the blankets around me as I continued reading. By the end of the first page, I was on the verge of tears; when I was through, I was practically bawling. I had to put the passion-filled pages aside so that I wouldn't get tears on them.

When I was able to stop crying, I read back over the words, a few phrases popping out at me.

'I just can't think about the day I stop seeing her,' it said. 'Even when I thought she was crazy, I wished I'd never see her leave….'

The last lines are what really got me, though.

'I don't know what she's looking for, waiting for, or hoping for. I just know that I can't live without those beautiful blue eyes or the soul that lies behind them.'

After reading and re-reading and re-reading those words, I curled up in the fetal position, pressing my face into my unyielding knees.

Elizabeth must have heard my sobs, because she came in not long after I folded the pages up and put them on my pillow. She sat by me and put an arm around my shoulder.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Again I answered, "My entire life," and followed with a body-shaking sob.

"What happened?" From what I could see through my tears, her face was full of concern.

Without a word, I pointed to my pillow, where the papers still lay.

She read slowly, as if absorbing every word. I watched her reaction when she finally laid the papers where I'd left them.

"That was… _beautiful_," she said when she finally broke the silence. After a pause, she turned to me. "Why on _earth_ would you say such things about your life after reading that?"

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. "I have to go _home_," I said, feeling my face contort into an ugly-sad expression. I bit my lip to prevent it from curling downward, but my muscles were determined little buggers. "I _want_ to stay, but I _can't_. My mom doesn't know where I am, my dad probably doesn't care; I have to finish high school and go to college; my mom needs me and I need her. And when Alex…" I took a shaky breath. "I just… I want to make sure I'm making the right choice."

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around me, and suddenly I could feel a warmth spread from wherever her skin touched mine. I wasn't sad anymore. I just felt… placid. Like the world wasn't revolving too fast for me anymore. I could handle whatever anyone threw at me.

"Better?" Liz asked, pulling back.

"Yeah. How'd you do that?"

"You sort of have to figure that out yourself. Because I'm a Basis, I'll be better at it than any Endow, because that's pretty much all a Basis does. An Endow can do it too, but it wears them out faster than actually using their Endow." She sat next to me in silence for a minute while I wiped the tears from my face. "So what are you going to do about Alex?"

"I… I don't know. I mean… rule number two wasn't very specific." I shrugged. "How am I supposed to know who my partner is supposed to be?"

Elizabeth gave a sly grin. "How do you know it's not Alex?"

"I…" I paused. "I don't know."

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**Don't ask me why Elizabeth didn't do that the night Lela came back from the walk, because I'm only writing as I go. Don't ask me what's going to happen next either. I come up with stuff as I write. ^^**

**Please review! And another note to you, Mysterious Third Reader: PLEASE! THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME! _WHO ARE YOU?_**


	33. Chapter 33

**Sorry I took so long; I've been kept away from the Fanfiction-Accessible-internet for a while. I've been writing though! Sadly, you'll only get two chapters at a time until I can get unstuck. That way I don't spoil you, and I have time to get unstuck.**

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I saw Lela the Monday after I sent her my vent-pages. There was a nervous, unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach at the thought of seeing her. I wasn't sure at _all_ that I had done the right thing, considering the situation. As soon as I'd given it to Nathanael, I felt a knot form in my stomach, signaling that I wasn't sure of what the heck I was doing. I suddenly became paranoid that she wouldn't ever want to see my face again after what I'd written about her.

But when I got to the Whitmores' house, Lela was on the couch, and Nathanael and Elizabeth were nowhere to be seen. When she saw me, her line of sight went to her hands, a pale pink spreading across her face, making my stomach flip.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Hi. Um…" I started out ungracefully. "Sorry about… I shouldn't have sent you those pages. And sorry about before that."

She glanced up at me, her entire visage shouting the word "confused."

"It's okay," she said, indicating the, ah… walk incident. "And why should you be sorry for what you wrote?"

"I… I meant I'm sorry for sending them. I realize I risked making things… uncomfortable on your part." I rocked awkwardly back on my heels.

She scooted over on the couch, silently inviting me to sit by her. "Don't be," she said, now gazing at her hands again. I stared at her eyelashes, willing for her to look at me again, just so I could see her eyes and what emotion lied behind them. She obliged, as if knowing what I wanted. "It was… nice," she said. Her face then went a whole three shades darker than it had been as her eyes fell again.

I wasn't sure what to say to that. Here I was, sitting next to the girl I couldn't stop thinking about, who might be leaving any day, and I was utterly at a loss for words.

"I…" I struggled. "Thanks."

"It sort of makes me wonder," she blurted, looking straight into my eyes, that piercing blue sending my inner light radiating throughout my body. Then she averted her eyes again, mumbling, "No, that's just stupid."

"What?" I asked, hoping to know what she was about to say.

"I…" she started again, "I sort of wonder now, what would have happened if…" her face went bright red at this point, "if neither of us knew about rule number one. Or the reasoning behind it."

I looked down at my own hands, picturing it. Then, with a bitter sigh, I muttered, "It probably would have turned out the same way."

When I looked back at her, I was surprised to see she was looking at me, a mix of unidentifiable feelings shining through her face.

"You really think so?" she asked quietly.

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**Haha I loved writing these chapters! I cracked myself up on half of these (there are 8 existing chapters after this one, and about half of those made me laugh, so... yeah).**

**Please review!**


	34. Chapter 34

**I think this was one of my favorite chapters to write. Maybe I like cracking up at people who laugh until they hiccup. Like me. ^^ You'll see.**

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"It probably would have turned out the same way," Alex muttered, glaring down at his hands.

I was surprised, but mostly hurt, that he would think I'd reject him like that in a normal situation.

I was looking at him when he looked up, catching him off guard.

"You really think so?" I asked, bracing myself for my next act of courage. I took a silent breath before leaning over and hugging him tightly.

"I…" he trailed off before getting over the shock of it all and hugging me back.

"The truth is, I'm just afraid. I'm afraid of going home;" I was crying now. "I'm afraid of staying here; but most of all, I'm afraid to be stuck as a teenager—at least, at seventeen—for the rest of my existence. I only know one person who knows what's ahead of us, and he's not saying a word."

Alex held tighter for a moment before letting out a low laugh. "Nathanael?" he asked. I nodded, my chin bumping his shoulder. He continued. "He knows what's coming, so obviously, he knows what's best."

I laughed and pulled myself from the hug. "And if he doesn't, Elizabeth does."

"You'd think those guys were born before the Great Flood, just from the way they talk," Alex snorted.

I wiped the tears from my face, trying not to stop breathing from laughing so hard.

Not a moment later, Nathanael and Elizabeth show up in the living room, both looking totally confused at our hysteric states. Alex was laughing so hard, I thought he was about to fall off the couch. I was laying back on the armrest, attempting to gain control of my diaphragm as my fit of laughter started a round of hiccups.

Elizabeth looked bemusedly from me to Alex, then back, as Nathanael's expression slowly transitioned from perplexed to amused. Of course, the looks on their faces sent me into another fit of laughter, and as soon as Alex caught wind of what I was laughing at, he was laughing so hard that I was surprised he didn't end up with a hernia.

The thought of what I sounded like when I was laughing just kept me laughing, and the both of us were cracking up on that couch for a full ten minutes before we were able to stop. The Whitmores just stood there, patiently watching us. As soon as the laughter subsided, I knew I couldn't look at Alex, because the residual smiles on our faces would send us into another round of cackling laughter.

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**I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it! Please review!**

**Mysterious Third Reader:  
I am serious. This is getting insane. When will you finally let me know you actually exist? Maybe you're just Kayla or Suzie before they log in, or a glitch in the system, but if you really REALLY exist, you'd better let me know, or I'm just going to console myself with the idea that my sister doesn't log in before she goes to see my new chapter.  
****-TurtleWexler **


	35. Chapter 35

**To those who was wondering about the laughing fit. I get those all the time over the randomest things (yes, i know it's bad grammar; I do that when I'm not being serious). They started laughing because of the "Older than Noah" joke, but the sudden appearance of the subject of their laughter caused them to laugh harder, and it got worse when the mentors made confused faces. Like I said, it happens to me all the time.**

**And this time, they feel like laughing every time one of the Whitmores talk. It's an aftereffect of the previous joke.**

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That night, after lessons, I stayed over for dinner. But I called home to make sure it was okay with my parents. They told me to be home before ten. With Nathanael, it was safe to bet I would be.

Lela sat across from me as we ate Elizabeth's pasta. I had to bite my lip against the laughter that wanted to bubble up every time Nathanael or Elizabeth asked someone to pass them something. And I couldn't look into Lela's eyes, as badly as I wanted to, because I knew without a doubt that one of us would end up spewing a mouthful of spaghetti at the other.

Elizabeth and Nathanael had no idea what the laughter was about—well, maybe Nathanael knew, if he went back in time and hid in the kitchen or on the staircase while we had our conversation.

I didn't want to bring it up again, but when Lela walked me home that night, well before ten o'clock, I had to ask.

"Lela," I started. The other words didn't want to come, but when she looked up at me, I knew I had to finish what I'd begun. "Before, when you were… explaining yourself, I was wondering…" I cleared my throat and shoved my hands deeper into my pockets. "When… when's your birthday?"

I looked down and tried to gauge her response. Before I could decipher the look on her face, she started cracking up. Majorly. I waited a full minute before she was able to speak normally enough to reply.

"February," she said, a squeaky hiccup following the word. "February twenty-third." Hic.

"Darn," I said, grinning down at her. "I'll be younger than you forever, I guess."

"When's your" hic "birthday?"

"July sixteenth," I replied, on the verge of laughing.

Hic. Hic. Hic.

That sent me over the edge. I was laughing again, almost as hard as I was when the Whitmores got home.

Lela frowned at me. Hic.

"Gah," I laughed, "Even when your mouth is closed, your hiccups sound cute!" I wasn't even sure I'd said it out loud. Not until she bit her lip and her face turned red.

"You know" hic "tomorrow's the first day" hic "of February, right?" She elbowed me in the arm.

"Twenty-three days to legal-adulthood! Woo!" I crowed, putting a fist in the air.

She started laughing again, hiccupping at regular intervals.

When her laughter died, and there was only the sound of her squeaky hiccups, I silently reached for her hand. She eagerly slipped her chilly fingers into mine, and I was glad we could at least do that much.

When we got to my apartment building, I planted a kiss on her cheek, silencing the hiccups, before smiling my goodbye and heading up the stairs.

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**I never thought I'd see the day where one of my guy characters called something... "cute." Gah, it's like my little brother. I get worried every time he calls something "pretty." (He's almost thirteen, just so you know.)**

**Please review!**


	36. Chapter 36

**I love manga. It has become one of my favorite things to read lately, just because it's an easy read, and way fast. My sister has gotten me addicted to a new manga (=_=) called Ouran High School Host Club. I don't care what you say, the twins are MINE. Especially Hikaru!**

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I stood there stupidly for a minute before I realized he was gone, and so were my hiccups. As I walked back home, I felt my face heat up as I thought about him holding my hand and kissing my cheek, as if it hadn't really happened. As if it was only some of my wishful thinking again.

But the chill I felt at his absence was definitely real. I knew Nathanael was there, watching over me and keeping me safe from the hunters (I shuddered at the thought of the seething, black masses that Elizabeth had described to me earlier that week), but I still liked to have the security of Alex walking beside me.

Elizabeth wanted to know what happened on our walk, but it was around ten when I got back, and I was too tired to recount the entire walk to Alex's house, so I told her Nathanael could tell her what happened. As I got into my pajamas a few minutes later, I realized what I'd just said. Nathanael knew everything that transpired between me and Alex when we went out. He could watch our every move with his Endow, and the thought kind of creeped me out.

I voiced my concerns to Elizabeth the next morning, and she told me not to worry about it. "He seems like the kind of guy that would tease you extensively about something like that, but he'd never tease you about something like that."

"Why not?" I asked. "He teases me about other stuff."

"Because what you have with Alex is very similar to what he has with me. He wouldn't mock something that was so important to him."

Talking with Elizabeth somehow always made me feel better, even when she didn't go all Basis on me. She had this way of speaking calmly and smoothly; it sort of reminded me of another manga character (same manga as Nathanael's counterpart) who always had something wise to say, though she was only in high school.

When I realized this, I sort of laughed inwardly at the thought of the two characters together, knowing that in the manga, it would never work.

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**Even though Kaoru parts his hair on the same side as me. THEY IS MIIINNE. Suzie has officially claimed the rest of them, especially Mori, Kyoya, and Hunny. They have been inducted into her Hall of Pretties, along with the twins. (As for YYH: Kayla can have Hiei, because Erika wants Kurama. ^^)**

**Please review!**


	37. Chapter 37

**This is Alex again. I love this kid. ^^ Sorry it's short. Some of these are kind of long, and some of them aren't. Please forgive me for the short ones!**

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Somehow, I knew that all four of us knew that Lela's eighteenth birthday was coming up. In a way, I sort of felt like the kidnapper that was biding his time until the target was alone; I felt kind of slimy knowing that her birthday was the day I was waiting for, and not just so I could say "Happy Birthday."

Lela talked over trying to call her mom again with me, just to see if her mom would believe her this time around and to tell her she's doing fine. I supported calling her mom again, and she was split on it, not sure how her mom would react. In the end, she decided, "Why not?" and used a payphone at a gas station.

I only heard Lela's half of the conversation, so I wouldn't be the best person to ask how that went, besides the fact that the conversation ended in tears on our end of the line.

"She knows I'm here," she said between sobs, "but I can't go back unless I want her suspecting me of p-prostitution."

I was furious at the woman for being so distrustful of her daughter, and I swore I'd never meet with her, unless it was to tell her off.

While she cried on my shoulder, I gathered some of my light in my fingertips as I gently rubbed her back. She pulled away, eyes wide. "I always forget you guys can do that," she said, wiping the tears from her face.

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**Please review!**


	38. Chapter 38

**Lela! I'm telling you whose POV it is so no one gets confused, even though it's obvious after a sentence or two...**

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The days dragged. It seemed that the closer it got to my birthday, the slower time went. I often glanced at Nathanael when it was like this, just to see if I could tell if he was doing anything.

One of the things I kept thinking about was my mom. Who was going to tell her where I was? How I was doing? I talked to Alex about it, and he thought I should call. We found a payphone outside of a gas station. The smell of gasoline was hardly bearable, but I endured it for a conversation with my mother.

"Hello?" came my mom's voice on the other end.

"Hey, mom," I started, uncertain of what to say.

"L-Lela?" she stammered. "Where are you? Where've you been? Why haven't you come home?"

"Mom, I'm fine," I said. "Long story short, I ended up in New York City with no memories of how I got here."

"You're still _there?_" she asked, now sounding more than worried. Hysterical, even.

"Mom, calm down. I'm fine. I stayed at a homeless shelter for a while, and then this nice old couple took me in. I could try to earn some money, but I don't know if it'd buy me a plane ticket home."

"No, no, no," she said hurriedly, "I'd rather you stay there than come home a prostitute."

I was stricken dumb. When I could finally speak, the stupid phone asked for another quarter, which I fed it. "Mom, I am not _stupid_. But if you don't want me home, then fine. I might call again later. I might not. Bye."

"Lela—" I hung up and let the tears flow.

When Alex asked what was wrong, I told him. He held me close, running his fingers up and down my back. After a moment, a warm, tingly sensation spread from where his hands touched me.

"I always forget you guys can do that," I said, trying to hide my surprise.

"You do that a lot," he replied with a grin. Something told me my shock was apparent.

I punched him in the shoulder, which only made him laugh, before starting back down the sidewalk to where I lived. He fell into step beside me, grasping my hand in his.

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**Don't you just love these guys? If I didn't, I wouldn't be writing their story. ^^**


	39. Chapter 39

**Alex. Main characters meet Zachary!**

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When we got back to the Whitmores' place, there was an extra pair of people in the living room.

When the guy looked up at me and Lela, I noticed he looked a whole lot like Nathanael, except he had blue eyes and a brunette by his side.

"Oh, good, you're home," Elizabeth said, taking Lela up into a hug. After releasing her, she introduced us to the couple on the couch. "Lela, Alex, this is our son Zachary, and his wife Kate."

I was stunned, to say the least. So stunned, in fact, that I didn't have time to let my jaw drop to the floor before my facial expression froze. I snapped out of it when Lela rubbed the back of my hand with her thumb.

"They have three kids," she whispered. "The other two live in Canada."

Zachary watched us silently, warily, like we could explode at any time. Kate whispered something to him, and then he looked at us in a manner that was different from before, before turning on his mom.

"Why haven't they—" Elizabeth stopped him with a cutting stare only a mother could pull off.

"That's their business, Zach. Don't be so nosy."

Nathanael talked with Zachary most of the night, and Elizabeth with Kate, leaving me and Lela in our own little world. After dinner, Lela walked home with me again.

"How come you knew they had kids?" I asked her.

"They told me a while ago. I really didn't think about it again until I saw Zachary. I sort of figured it was him, because from the way Nathanael talked about Etienne and Rebecca, it sounded like they wouldn't be visiting anytime soon."

I cracked a smile. "Their other son's name is… _Etienne?_"

"You shouldn't make fun of people's names, Alex," she said. "It's a French name; he was named after Nathanael's grandfather."

"You know all this stuff just from living with them?" I asked, now curious.

"Yeah. There's only so much Unspeakables stuff you can talk about, and only so long you can talk about it before you get bored."

I nodded silently, letting my thoughts wander for a bit.

"Are you excited?" I finally asked.

"Hm?"

"Are you excited for your birthday?" I repeated. "You know it's the seventeenth, now, right?"

"Oh, yeah," she said, her face turning pinker in the light of the streetlamps. "Six more days."

"Woo," I added, referring to my "twenty-three days" remark.

She started to laugh. "You say that every time someone announces how many days are left," she said. "Is there a meaning to 'woo' that I don't know of?"

I shrugged. "Probably not."

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**Woo! Haha (My dad just read that over my shoulder. Out loud.)**

**Please review!**


	40. Chapter 40

**Whoops. I was typing in the late-forties chapters, and realized I'd forgotten to add a Valentine's chapter before chapter 39. Oh, well. It's sort of too late now. Enjoy what I can give you. ^^''

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**

My birthday was a major event with my mentors. Elizabeth baked a cake, and Nathanael refrained from teasing me the entire day. Actually, he was gone for a long time.

When he came back that afternoon, he had a blushing Alex with him. I didn't ask what Nathanael had done or said, not wanting to make Alex more uncomfortable.

After dinner, Elizabeth brought out the cake. It was simple in shape, the icing a bright, sky blue with the words, "Happy 18th Birthday, Lela," written with purple icing in an elegant script.

I heard Alex take in a sharp breath as Elizabeth set it on the table. I watched an unspoken conversation pass between them as she started lighting the candles.

Nathanael broke the silence with a falsetto parody of "Sixteen Candles," but Elizabeth smacked his arm and started the standard birthday song.

When they finished the song, I blew out my candles without a wish, knowing I had everything I wanted.

Nathanael brought out a few gift-wrapped packages and set them on the table in front of me as Elizabeth cut the cake on the other end of the table. I wasn't sure what to say.

"What's this?" I asked, indicating the presents.

Nathanael grinned. "You'll see."

I shrugged and grabbed one, opening the wrapping so it would all come off in one piece.

Sitting neatly in the wrapping paper was a laptop. No. _My_ laptop. The one my mom and I had saved up for since I was fifteen.

I bit back tears and went to the next present. It was a stack of books—_my_ books—from my bookshelf at home. There were only three, but they were the only ones that mattered: a copy of my favorite Shakespeare comedy, a book that my friend wrote (and signed), and the best vampire book I'd ever read. (No, it wasn't Twilight.)

My eyes fell on the last present. It was the smallest, and I had a guess at what might be inside.

With no care for how many pieces the paper was in, I ripped it off. The little black box definitely looked familiar, and I quickly popped it open. Inside was the charm bracelet my friend had given me before she moved away. There was no way it fit me anymore—it had been made for a child—but I enjoyed reminiscing about Allis.

The tears I'd been holding back fell freely as I clutched the charm-covered chain in my hand.

There were no words I could say to Elizabeth and Nathanael that could express my feelings well enough, so I just made my way around the table and hugged them tightly.

I went back to my seat and ate my cake in silence.

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**Please review!**


	41. Chapter 41

**Haha yeah... Birthdays.**

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Nathanael and Elizabeth disappeared during the time I was almost totally occupied with my cake. I was "_almost_ totally occupied," because Alex was sitting on my right, trailing his fingers across my lower back as I ate.

I looked up from my blue-and-purple-smeared plate to find that Alex and I were alone in the kitchen. I blushed, fully knowing why. Alex laughed when I looked up at him, and I first thought it was because my face was red, but he swiped his thumb across my chin, and when he pulled it away, I saw blue icing on it.

"Crap!" I muttered, wiping my face with a napkin as I felt my face get hotter.

Alex laughed again when I threw the napkin and it didn't make it to the trash can.

"Let's see you do it, then," I said, elbowing him in the ribs. He picked up one of the brightly-colored napkins, balled it up, and tossed it squarely into the trash can. I tried to glare at him, my grin giving me away. "Show-off."

His expression went from _totally amused_ to _intense_ in an instant. His brown eyes smoldered at me, and I felt like a deer caught in headlights as he leaned down to kiss me.

I'd read about a thousand kisses in my literary experience, but nothing compares to the real thing. The little bits of light that Liz and Alex often send into me via their fingertips were nothing compared to the flood of light I was feeling then. Not only that—I was feeling light-headed too. The light shifting between us felt like an electric current coursing through every place we were touching.

When we pulled apart, I expected to feel… I don't know, embarrassed, or something, but instead, I just felt happy. With his forehead against mine, Alex looked into my eyes and grinned. I mirrored his expression out of relief and pure happiness. After a moment of doing nothing but grinning my face off, I noticed a tickle behind my nose, and it was too late to do anything about it.

"Choo!" I squeaked.

Alex grabbed a napkin and wiped off his face. "Aw, gross, Lela!" He was laughing, though, which was a good sign.

I took the next napkin in the stack and blew my nose before apologizing.

"Sorry, Alex. It sort of creeped up on me." I was laughing with him. The both of us were cracking up to the point of no return. We had to ride out the laughter, all the way through the sore abs until tears were streaming down our faces.

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**I loved writing this part! ^^**

**Please review!**


	42. Chapter 42

**WAHH! It's really, really, REALLY short, I know! I changed POV after this, and I have to make that a separate chapter b/c I'm obsessive compulsive over that sort of stuff.**

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Nathanael and Elizabeth showed up just as our laughter was dying down. I got up to help Elizabeth clean up in the kitchen, but she said it was my birthday and to take my presents up to my room.

I grabbed all my stuff and threw a grin at Alex, who quickly returned it, before heading upstairs. When I came back, Alex was gone. I turned to Elizabeth, who was washing dishes.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"Home, by now. Nathanael has to get him home before ten, remember?"

I looked at the clock on the wall. It said 9:55. I knew I shouldn't have been upset, because I was going to see him again within the next few days, but I was. I frowned at the clock, then went back upstairs.

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**Read on... please.**


	43. Chapter 43

**Believe me; this looked longer in a Word document. Sorry about that.**

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There was no existing words to describe what I felt when I kissed her. Gah, it was like… it was like…. see what I mean? And of course, before I could say anything, she sneezed in my face. I laughed, though, because it was the cutest sneeze I'd ever heard in my life. She squeaked. She actually _squeaked_.

Ugh. Ever since I'd met Lela, I'd been a mushy, spineless noodle-brain. Not that it's a bad thing, but I couldn't do anything without knowing she was back at the Whitmores' place, waiting for me. I felt awful when she wasn't around, like time was going too slowly. I couldn't fall asleep as easily as I had been, and after we'd bonded, it was ten times worse. No. A _hundred_ times worse.

I felt bad about leaving her on her birthday. I mean, I knew I had a ten o'clock curfew, but I still felt bad about not saying goodbye first.

Just as Nathanael had left me on the sidewalk outside my building, Lela showed up.

"Been practicing?" I asked.

"Yup. I can aim within feet now," she said, grinning.

"I'd better get up to my apartment soon. My dad'll have a fit if I'm late."

My stomach flipped as she stood on tiptoes to kiss my cheek.

"Wouldn't want to be late, now, would you?" she asked. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." I gave a little wave before heading up the stairs.

_A little wave? I must be getting less manly by the second_, I thought as I got to the door. But when I turned back and saw Lela grinning up at me, I didn't care.

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**But you gotta love Alex, right?**

**Please review!**


	44. Chapter 44

**Alex meets... a HUNTER. :O (sort of)**

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My first real recognition of the danger all Unspeakables face was about two days after Lela's birthday party. I had just been dropped off at my apartment, and was about to head up the stairs when I saw something shadowy and amorphous oozing across the sidewalk where the streetlamp's light didn't reach. It disappeared in an instant, leaving me wondering if I'd just seen a hunter.

The next morning, when he came to pick me up, Nathanael looked absolutely awful. I mentioned it, and he made an annoyed grumbly noise before taking me back to his house.

When we got there, he didn't leave right away; he went over to Elizabeth, who probed his skin until he winced, then pulsed some of her light into him through her fingertips.

He automatically looked better. Leaving hardly any time for me to greet Lela, he told her to jump to the park on her own. She grinned at me before she disappeared, Nathanael right behind her.

"What happened to Nathanael?" I asked, sitting on the couch where Lela had just been.

Elizabeth pressed her lips together before answering. "Run-in with a hunter. On the way to meet you this morning."

"There was one last night too, right?"

She sighed. "Yes. And it won't be long before you and Lela will be staving them off yourselves. The problem is that her Endow is escape. It's nothing that can actually help her fight."

It felt like someone had just kicked me in the gut.

"So… you're saying that there is no real escape. Just running."

"Well, you can fight off hunters pretty well with your light," she said hurriedly. "I'm just saying that if something should happen to you… she'd be defenseless."

I was starting to feel sick.

"Alex," she said, sounding exasperated, "You don't have to worry about it right now. And Nathanael's working on seeing if she can take someone along on one of her jumps—starting with a rope, to see how far out her jump-radius reaches."

I'd never heard Liz sound so flustered. She got up and went to the kitchen; a few minutes later, she came back with a mug of hot tea, looking as composed as ever.

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**Yep. Liz gets freaked out when stuff like this happens. But can you blame her?**

**Please review! Especially you non-reviewers out there! I can tell there's more than one!**


	45. Chapter 45

**Woo! Jump-radius! I'd hate it too, btw.**

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I was getting worn out from all the jumping Nathanael was making me do. The stupid rope wasn't getting any longer, and my "jump-radius" as he called it, wasn't getting any smaller.

The rope got cut off at exactly six feet every time; we started out with one very long piece of rope, and ended up with six smaller pieces.

"Nathanael," I said, dragging over the last piece of rope, "I am dead-tired. Can't we go back yet?"

"Not until we find out if you can take people with you," he said stubbornly.

_Oh_, I thought. _That's what he was doing_.

I sighed. "Well, do you want me to take you, or are you going to volunteer a possibly rabid park squirrel?"

He rolled his eyes and walked over to me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Well, I am not about to be ripped away from you mid-jump. Just do your thing. Small jump, though. Somewhere next to that tree." He pointed out the one he was talking about.

I closed my eyes, focused, and jumped. Nathanael took up a lot more room than a rope, but besides the extra mass, I was okay. He practically fell off me when we got to the tree, but he was otherwise unharmed.

"Woo!" he said, getting up. "That was great! Can we do that again?"

I glared at him. "I am tired. Take me home."

He sighed and relented, and I was in the living room in an instant.

I caught the look on Alex's face before he noticed we were there and bit my lip. He quickly plastered on a smile, but I could tell he was worried.

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**Haha Nathanael cracks me up!**

**Pleas review!**


	46. Chapter 46

**BOO! No, I'm not really a hunter-that was just a black sheet.**

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When Elizabeth had finished our lesson, I was feeling sort of distant and agitated. The thought that a hunter was nearby and working at our mentors was nerve-wracking in and of itself, but paired with the thought that Lela was in danger… Gah, it sent me into panic-mode.

Lela and Nathanael appeared while my thoughts were still on the hunters and what we were really up against. I composed myself as fast as I could, putting on a smile for Lela's sake, not wanting to worry her. She was biting her lip, looking more worried than I'd been feeling all morning.

"You okay?" I asked her as she came and sat by me. Nathanael went upstairs with Elizabeth.

She released her lip. "I should be asking you the same thing."

I sighed and knew I had to tell her. _Better to be informed and ready than ignorant_, I thought. "There's a hunter after us. Nathanael and Elizabeth have been working on keeping him off us, but it's not long until we have to be able to defend ourselves."

She closed her eyes, looking like she was trying not to freak out. Then she opened them and looked at me. "Alex," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "I'm supposed to learn how to do what you can do, but… I can't find the light, or the place to draw it from. I've been trying to figure it out for days—" Lela cut herself off with a sob.

I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, letting my light seep into her; she was clutching the back of my shirt, like I was her tether to safety. When she'd stopped crying, she lifted her face from my shoulder and planted a kiss on the side of my neck.

I felt goosebumps shoot down my back and turned to kiss her. After a moment, she pulled away, looking astonished.

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**Please review!**


	47. Chapter 47

**I hope I did this right. I wasn't sure how an Endow does what a Basis does. So don't get upset if I got it wrong... =.=**

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I felt something deep inside me leap as Alex kissed me. Shocked and surprised, I pulled away, realizing what it was.

"I think I found it," I whispered.

Alex smiled, looking relieved. "That's great," he said with absolutely no sarcasm (I know, I was surprised too). "Do you think you could use it?"

"I don't…" I thought I was still worn out from practicing earlier in the day, but being with Alex had made me feel a whole lot better. "Maybe. But Elizabeth said it would wear me out faster than using my Endow."

He shrugged. "Then don't worry about it right now. You'll have to practice it soon, though, just in case." He pressed his lips to my forehead just before Elizabeth and Nathanael came back down the stairs.

"Guys," Elizabeth started. It definitely sounded like an announcement. "We've been trying to ignore it, but Dalne, a hunter that is particularly fond of our region, is attacking harder and more frequently than ever. We think it has to do with the two of you." She spoke directly to Alex now. "Your parents will need protection, too. Don't think Dalne isn't going to overlook your family."

I took Alex's hand in mine, hoping to help him feel better.

"Lela," Liz said, turning to me, "you need to learn how to heal marks left by hunters, and to jump long distances with someone. Please don't put anything off."

"Aw, Liz, you're scaring them," Nathanael scolded. "Scaring people doesn't make them do any better."

She whirled to face him. "Nat, this is important! We've put it off too long, and now it's about to rear its ugly head and—"

She stopped in the middle of her sentence when Nathanael gave her this look—I couldn't describe it exactly. It was sort of a mix of sadness, love, confusion, and something else I couldn't put my finger on.

He took her hand, and she turned back to us. "Sorry, guys. This is just getting me so frazzled, I don't know what I'm saying or doing anymore. Lela," she looked at the clock. "You have twenty minutes to be upstairs, okay?"

I nodded, not sure what to say to her. She and Nathanael went back upstairs.

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**Yeah, yeah... frustrating cliffhangers, right? Can't help it unless I want to put out too many chapters at once.**

**NOTE: Dalne's name came from the name "Delano" which, in my parents' baby name book, means something about darkness, but I can't remember exactly what.**

**Please review!**

**Do you _feel _that, non-reviewers? I'm glaring holes through your heads from my computer chair. Glaring holes!**


	48. Chapter 48

**Okay, so were starting to catch up. The last chapter I've written so far is 53. So, yeah, we're getting close to me posting the day after I write again.**

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"Want to take the long way home?" Lela asked as the Whitmores disappeared up the stairs.

"If you can take me the short way, you can come visit my parents," I said, knowing my face was getting pink at the thought.

She bit her lip. "I only took Nathanael twenty feet before we came here. Are you sure you want to try?"

I shrugged and grinned. "I trust you not to drop me on the way."

She grimaced. "That's not exactly what I'm afraid of. How tall are you?"

"Five-seven. Why?"

She let out a long breath. "Good. I think my jump-radius is about six feet, and I don't want to accidentally lose part of you in the jump, even if it _is_ just a little hair off the top." She stood up and motioned for me to do the same. "I'm not sure what proximity we have to be in for it to work, so I need you to hug me, okay? I don't want to accidentally 'drop' you."

I obliged, feeling nervous and excited at the same time.

"I'll land us next to a streetlamp near your building. Ready?"

I hardly had a chance to nod before I was whisked away. We landed right where she said we would, and I would have fallen over if I hadn't been hugging her so tightly.

"Guess it's time to introduce you to my parents," I said, passing a hand over my hair nervously.

She started to look confused. "I've already met them."

"I mean as my girlfriend," I mumbled, my face heating up at the word. _Gah, I gotta get used to that_, I thought as I led her up the stairs.

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**I've never gotten into a fanfic like this. It's so much fun! Haha**

**Please review!**


	49. Chapter 49

**I have to say Alex was my favorite guy to write! And I've written a lot of guys. ^^**

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"This is starting to get _ridiculous_," my dad said as I opened the door. I'd had Lela wait just to the side, knowing something like this would happen.

"Starting?" my mom said, approaching us. "It was ridiculous a week ago! Alexander Mitchell, why do you spend almost all of your spare time away from home?"

"And don't give us that crap about having a project, because we called the school this morning and know it's not true."

I waited a minute to make sure they were done talking.

"Mom, dad;" I said calmly, "the reason I haven't been around so often is because I've been seeing someone, okay?"

My dad almost dropped the newspaper; my mom looked like she was about to cry. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

"Who is she?" my mom asked, wringing the dishcloth in her hands. "You're not—"

Gah, there's no sugar coating that one. I straight _blushed_. "No! Mom, it's a strictly public-meetings relationship." I motioned for Lela to come into the doorway. "You remember Lela, right?" I said, noting the tenderness in my voice when I said her name.

If I thought it couldn't get worse, I was sorely disappointed. Not only did my mom hug her; my dad joined in, and I was feeling the pain of double the embarrassment. When they released her, she looked like someone had given her a gift and she had no idea what it was.

Mom offered her some hot cocoa, asking her how things were going, and when school and family came up, I had to help her lie. It was hard to watch her struggle. I knew she was having a tough time with what happened with her mom, and that she wouldn't be able to finish high school because she couldn't go back home. Fortunately, my mom didn't notice when Lela stumbled over words and phrases that both Lela and I knew weren't even half-truths.

I soon got a good look at a clock and realized Lela had to be home and upstairs in the next five minutes.

"Lela, it's getting kind of late," I said, nodding toward the clock.

"Oh, right!" she said, getting up and almost upsetting her mug. "Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell; my mom wants me home before ten after, and I'm sort of pushing it."

"That's okay," my mom said, giving her another hug. "Feel free to stop by anytime."

"Thanks, Mrs. Mitchell."

I walked her down to the bottom floor.

"That went better than expected," I remarked lightly.

Lela grinned. "You know your parents are expecting you to walk me home, right?"

"Yup," I said, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I guess I'll just hide in the lobby's bathroom for twenty minutes before heading back up."

"Don't get into any trouble," she said.

"Wasn't planning on it." I kissed her gently before pulling away.

She smiled and disappeared.

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**^^ I love writing this couple!**

**Please review!**


	50. Chapter 50

**Woo! 50 chapters! Go me! Haha I hardly ever write fanfics this long. ^^'**

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Even knowing this hunter, Dalne, was after us, and that it'd probably be a while before I ever got to go home, I didn't feel too stressed about anything. Well, not including my insomnia. It started the night of my birthday. I thought it was just, you know, a one-time thing, but it kept happening. It didn't take me long to figure out that my insomnia was just me suffering from a lack of Alex—not that I didn't see him enough, or anything—I just couldn't stop thinking about him, and, well… yeah, it was mostly just him.

I felt like one of those stupid schoolgirls that can't do anything unless their boyfriends are there because they're so clingy. _That's what it is_, I thought when I came upon the word. _I'm clingy_.

I was far from proud of it, but I knew there was nothing I could do about it. I'd known Alex for almost two months. I'd liked him for nearly that long. Gosh, I probably liked him when he first saved me from a speeding subway train; I just hadn't realized it until later.

Elizabeth had gotten me a journal, among other things, because she said I'd want to be able to remember things from when I was still a teenager. It wasn't fancy, aside from the ribbon bookmark in the spine, but it had four-hundred, narrower-than-college-ruled pages for me to write my daily experiences in. I shrugged, thinking, _Why not? It's not like anyone—besides myself—is going to read it anyway_.

I started with the divorce, recounting my life all the way up to the point that I was at, excluding anything boring that wasn't worth remembering.

When I was done, I wrote my name and the date (February 27, 2011) at the bottom of the last page I'd written on.

It was around midnight when I closed my journal and turned off my light. I knew I'd lie there for another ten minutes or more before I was able to sleep, but at least I was finally at the point where I was tired enough to fall asleep.

Like some other nights, I dreamt of shifting black masses, Alex, and all the parental figures in my life. Nothing seemed to fit together in the dreams—often scenes changed, people turned out to be other people, and I woke up feeling extremely frustrated because Alex was missing for the second half of the dream.

I hated waking up hours earlier than anyone else, but what I hated more was waking up more than once and with the feeling of something heavy on my chest every time. It was the feeling that came with the frustration and the cold sweat of waking from a half-nightmare.

At seven-thirteen, I gave up on trying to sleep, kicking the damp blankets to the foot of the bed before throwing myself off of it. I scratched my head, then took a deep breath, trying to alleviate the painful heaviness in my heart from my last dream. I couldn't remember exactly what it was in my dream that made me feel so sick. I was eating my breakfast cereal when I remembered it—my dream—Alex was there, along with the Whitmores, my mom, and Mollie. Mom was the first to disappear—actually it looked more like she'd been swallowed up by darkness. I shuddered as I recalled each of the disappearances—Mollie was next, then Nathanael. The look on Elizabeth's face in my imperfect memory was enough to bring back the horrible feeling in my chest. Then she was gone, and all that was left was me and Alex.

We were running, and the scene in my head reminded me of the "cloud-rhino" in the _James and The Giant Peach_ movie, only darker and hundreds of times scarier. I dropped my spoon on the table, bracing myself against it as I remembered the last part of my dream. Tears streamed down my face—the dream had felt so real, and so had the dream-world loss of the people that meant the most to me.

Elizabeth came downstairs while I was having my episode.

"Lela?" she said, sounding uncertain. "What's wrong?"

All I could get out between sobs was, "The faces… I… it was so real…"

She got a closer look at me, and I saw the surprise in her eyes before she started prodding my skin with her fingertips.

"Wh-what are you doing?" I asked, wiping my nose on my pajama shirt sleeve.

"Looking for…" I gagged as a wave of nausea washed over me. "Ah, here."

She placed her hand over the place on the back of my scalp that made me feel sick and sent her light into my skin; the heaviness and nausea, everything, disappeared in the light she gave me.

"Better?" she asked. I nodded, looking down at my now-soggy cereal that I was sad to have wasted. "That happens to Nathanael sometimes. Dalne likes to attack dreams because that's where Endows are most vulnerable."

"Wait—that was because of a hunter?" I asked as I got up to pour the milk-mush into the sink.

"Yep. From the looks of it, you had a pretty rough night," she said, helping me get fresh cereal.

"No kidding," I said as I rinsed my bowl.

"It'll get better once you and Alex are married. The close proximity keeps hunters out of your dreams most nights," she said.

I felt the blush all the way to the roots of my hair. "Do you always have to do that?" I asked, biting my lip.

"What, talk about awkward subjects?" She grinned. "Yes. I'm a mom. That's what I do."

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**I like writing emotional chapters like this. Not because it's torture to my characters, but because I don't "feel" my stories until it gets like this. Yeah... I'm a little weird.**

**Thanks for reading! Please review! :)**


	51. Chapter 51

**First date! Woo! Holy cow, that's after fifty chapters! I feel so lame. =.=**

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Mondays are always bad days, unless, say… you had a date with the most awesome person in the world. For some reason, I hadn't seen it coming. Nathanael and Elizabeth decided to give us a day off lessons to spend together, seeing as I told my parents I was dating anyway.

Nathanael dropped me off at this café I wasn't sure I'd ever seen. Lela was in one of the back-corner booths with a large mug. I couldn't tell what was in it until I got close and smelled the chocolate. There was a second mug waiting for me.

"Elizabeth told me you like hot chocolate with extra whipped cream," Lela said as I sat down.

I forgot for a moment that our mentors had been watching me for years and let my facial expression slip. Lela laughed.

"You look like you just swallowed a fish!"

I recovered from my shock. "You look like you need to shave," I countered, pointing to her whipped-cream moustache.

"Touché," she said, wiping it off with a napkin.

"That's funny; last I checked, we weren't fencing," I said, picking up my mug and taking a sip. She just looked at me for a second. "Sorry. Bad joke."

She grinned. "You haven't heard a bad joke until you've met my dad. Mom and I have to have a fake laugh ready anytime he makes his 'pun-face.'" She explained what the "pun-face" looked like, gave a humorous demonstration, and almost toppled her cocoa mug when she reached for another napkin.

I laughed and helped her clean up the splattered hot chocolate.

"So how're things with your parents?" she asked when I came back from the trashcan.

"Well, they've been better about me going out since I told them about you. I can't go out _every day_, but they otherwise have no objections." I shrugged. "It's like it used to be, for the most part."

She finished her hot cocoa, a white stripe once again across her top lip. She grinned, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Do I have something on my face?" she asked in mock-innocence. I could tell she was about to crack up, though, so I nodded and pointed to my upper lip, then my cheek, then my forehead. And as she was wiping the whipped cream off her face, I grabbed her wrist and moved the damp napkin across her face, getting her nose and cheek sticky.

She laughed, then took her wrist from my grasp and wiped the napkin down my cheek, leaving a sticky, sugary trail.

"Now we match," she said, pulling her hair from where it stuck to her face.

"Not for long," I said, grinning as I got up to go to the bathroom.

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**You know I love you guys! Now please review!**

**Seriously, I'm getting tired of you Read-And-Run types. And YOU! the lame-o who only reads the last chapter I post and skip the rest! Yeah, that's right! I'm onto you! ;P**


	52. Chapter 52

**Date-Night Continued:**

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"You are such a dork!" I called after Alex as he left for the bathroom. I grabbed a clean napkin and licked it to wipe my face with. He'd gotten hot chocolate everywhere while I was trying to get my whipped-cream moustache off.

I heard him laugh as the door closed behind him. I rolled my eyes and leaned on the wall. I was feeling unusually tired, but happy that I could spend some time with Alex. Besides our walks to his house, we didn't get to spend much time together, one-on-one.

When he came back from the bathroom, he was still laughing.

"I think you got it in my hair," he joked as he sat on the other side of the booth.

I couldn't hear him; I was remembering my dreams again. I looked at the dark pink wallpaper and ran a finger over it, the texture feeling odd under my fingertip.

"You okay?" Alex asked. "You look…" He trailed off.

"I'm… no. I… I've just been having trouble sleeping." I yawned, accentuating my point.

I caught the look on his face. He seemed to be more worried than anything else. "Is that all?" he asked.

I bit my lip and told him. "I've… been having dreams. Nightmares, actually." I closed my eyes for a second. "They're almost all the same." Tears came, half from the exhaustion, half from remembering the dreams.

Alex came over to my side of the booth. "Did you tell Elizabeth and Nathanael?" He took my hand in his.

"Yeah. Elizabeth said it's normal. Dalne likes to attack Endows in their dreams. She found his mark and made it go away."

He gave my hand a squeeze. "Do you think there may have been more than one?" he asked.

"More than one mark?" I shifted and leaned on his shoulder. "I don't know. Maybe."

"I think we should get you back home. Elizabeth and I can take care of any marks she might have missed."

I nodded in agreement. I was too tired to jump us, though, so we ended up walking home.

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**Yeah... I stay up so late to write b/c I can't write during the day. So tired... =.=**

**Please review!**


	53. Chapter 53

**And Lela SLEEPS! Woo!**

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I kept a wary eye on Lela the whole way home, worried that she might fall asleep standing up. From the way her eyelids drooped, it was a possibility.

Elizabeth was in her chair holding a steaming mug when we arrived. Nathanael was probably out fighting Dalne or something.

"You okay?" she asked as I led Lela to the couch. Lela rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"I'm fine," I said, "but Lela isn't feeling too well. She thinks she may have more marks than just the one you fixed." Elizabeth set her mug on the little table before coming over to help me find the other marks.

"Found one," Elizabeth said, her fingers hovering over Lela's chest. She grimaced when Lela visibly gagged at her touch. "It's an especially nasty one."

I continued to run my fingertips across Lela's skin, hoping we'd catch them all.

It was a tedious process, and Nathanael only showed up right when it was over. He was looking exhausted, and I wasn't sure how he could be fighting a hunter all by himself. Of course, Elizabeth quickly found and healed his marks.

Lela was looking better, but still sleepy, though it was hardly nine, so I carried her up to her room. I swear, Elizabeth was glaring holes into my head as a warning or something. When I put Lela in her bed, she mumbled something, then wrapped her arms around one of mine. I wasn't sure what to do, because I didn't want her to wake up or freak out. A couple of minutes later, Elizabeth came in and saw me sitting stiffly on the edge of Lela's bed. She almost laughed at my desperate face.

"I'll get Nathanael; he can help," she whispered.

When they came back, Nathanael grasped my wrist and froze time around us. "Now take your arm from her grasp," he said. "Careful—don't let her skin touch yours or she'll be unfrozen."

I let my jacket sleeve slip over my fingertips before slowly tugging my arm out of her embrace. Then Nathanael let time start up again. I watched Lela's face change. She was starting to look scared, or confused. Maybe both. I turned back to our mentors and saw Elizabeth press her lips together worriedly.

She and Nathanael walked out the door, leaving it open, and down the hall to their room. Then Lela began to make a noise. Gah, it was a horrible, pathetic, whimper-y noise. The sound of a girl about to cry. I closed my eyes as my throat tightened up.

I turned back to Lela, who was still in a deep slumber. She was actually crying in her _sleep_. I had to do something, but I didn't want to wake her up or get stuck there for the rest of the night (my parents would _kill_ me). So I leaned over her, avoiding touching her arms, and pressed my lips to her forehead, letting some of my light seep into her.

She let out a sigh and rolled over, hugging her pillow. I grinned, feeling relieved and totally wiped out from the day's adventures.

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**Yup. I almost fall asleep standing up sometimes. It's on days like this.**

**Please review!**

**By the way, we'll be totally caught up next time I post chapters. ^^' I'm a little stuck. **


	54. Chapter 54

**Posting the last three chapters I wrote. Been stuck for days, and tired as crap. =.= I hate when I do this to myself. I need to catch up on some sleep before I can write anymore for any of my stories. I'll get back to you guys as soon as possible.**

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I wasn't sure of everything that had transpired Monday night. I think I dozed off halfway through Alex and Elizabeth's mark hunt. The next morning, it seemed impossible for me to remember what my dreams were about, but I was so glad that I'd been able to sleep through the night, I really didn't care.

When I was eating breakfast, I realized it was the first of March. _Wow_, I thought. _More than two and a half months away from home, and exactly two months since I met Alex_. I couldn't imagine being back at home. I had no clue what was going on with Mom, or at school, or anything at all. I really didn't care much, either. Not since my mom had falsely accused me of using my—I shuddered before even finishing the thought.

I got up and rinsed my nearly empty cereal bowl before moving to the living room and sitting on the couch. I'd run out of books I was interested in reading, and my laptop couldn't pick up enough of the Wi-Fi signals from the building across the street for me to do anything useful. I sat on the couch, watching the clock on the wall tick-tock into oblivion. I willed it to go faster, but, as clocks are wont to do, it seemed to go slower the longer I stared at it.

I managed to tear my eyes from the clock when I heard Elizabeth come down the stairs.

"Oh, you're awake!" she said when she saw me.

"Yeah. I managed to stay asleep all night, if you can believe it."

"That's good. Are you alright? You look a little… distant."

"I'm fine." I shrugged. "Well, as fine as a bored person can be."

She smiled. "Oh, is that all? Well, if you want, we could go do something fun while you wait for Alex to get out of school."

I blushed, embarrassed that she could see through me so easily.

Elizabeth laughed. "Lela, you don't have to look so embarrassed! It's like that for all partnerships. I'm willing to bet Alex is as anxious as you right this second."

I bit my lip and pulled my legs up onto the couch. "You think so?"

"There's no doubt."

Nathanael came down the stairs at that point. "You left me all alone for a whole three minutes!" he whined, wrapping his arms around his wife.

Elizabeth threw me a look that said _This is what I'm talking about_ before answering him. "Sorry, sweetheart, you looked so peaceful, I didn't want to wake you up."

He made a face. "I was pretending so you'd stay longer. You should know that by now—we've been together for almost a hundred years!"

"Eighty-three, you dork!" she said, twisting in his arms.

"Long enough," he grumbled as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Never," she replied.

I got up, red-faced, and went upstairs before things went any further.

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**Don't you just love those guys?**

**-^o^- Well, I've got to get to bed soon, so I'm going to post my next two chapters sans Author's Notes. ("sans" means "without" for those of you who don't know.)**

**Please review!**


	55. Chapter 55

I stretched my legs out in front of my desk, trying to relieve the anxiety I was feeling. It did nothing to help, and neither did the lecture my Physics teacher was giving. I resisted the urge to repeatedly click my pen, but I did nothing to curb the need to let my legs shake the anxiety out.

It took me a moment to realize the noise my squeaky, traitor desk was making. The teacher had stopped talking, and most of my classmates were looking at me. I stilled my legs, feeling my face get hot.

"Mr. Mitchell, if you feel the need to be disruptive, I may feel the need to send you to the office."

"Sorry, Ma'am," I said, looking down at my notebook. "It won't happen again."

After a moment of silence, she went back to her lecture, and the other students turned their attention back to her.

At the end of class, one of the girls grinned up at me. "Nice going, squeaky."

I made a face at the nickname, but she didn't catch it. She was already halfway down the hall. _Oh, crap_, I thought as I made my way to my locker. _Please let her _not_ have a crush on me. I have enough problems as it is_.

I threw my books into my locker, pulling out the books for my next few classes before heading toward the cafeteria. Lunch was less appetizing than I'd hoped, but I had to eat something. After forcing myself to eat a hotdog covered in condiments, I threw away my fries and chugged the remnants of my chocolate milk.

I shouldered my bag and headed for the library to finish reading my English assignment in peace. Peace never came.

It was like… Gah, it was like getting ADHD overnight or something. I caught myself chewing the end of my pen four times, and staring off into space twice. Not to mention how many times I checked the time. It seriously felt like time was going slower just to spite me.

I glared at the clock in my Government class, knowing freedom was minutes away. The fidgets were getting worse, and I actually contemplated biting my nails to relieve the stress. I didn't really know what was that was making me wig out. Well, I had my suspicions when I caught myself sketching an eye in the margin of my notebook. I was more worried that there was a hunter after us than that I wasn't with Lela 24/7. Actually, that was a lie. The hunter was second on my list.

I was mindlessly copying down definitions when the bell (finally) rang. I quickly packed up and didn't bother visiting my locker before going home. I was so glad to be out of the school building, I almost laughed in relief.

The first thing I did was head off to the Whitmores' place. My parents weren't too worried since I told them about Lela; as long as I could tell them we weren't doing anything serious without looking guilty, they were fine with it.


	56. Chapter 56

I had been hoping Alex would come on his own—I just didn't know he'd be coming straight from school. He still had his bookbag with him.

"Won't your parents freak?" I asked him.

"Nah," he said, putting his bag by the door. "They're okay as long as I don't do anything stupid."

Elizabeth and Nathanael wanted to give us another lesson, and I wasn't too thrilled about leaving Alex again—not after five hours of pure anxiety. But they told me we'd all be in the living room for this one. No jumping practice for me—just a simple Unspeakables lesson.

Elizabeth started it out. I didn't think Nathanael was much of a teacher-type anyway.

"One thing every Unspeakable has to know is that all Unspeakables are linked," she said. "It's like… Nat, what was the word I used this morning?"

"A network," he said. "It's a network; we're all connected."

"Sounds like the World Wide Web," Alex interrupted.

"Sort of," Elizabeth said. "An Unspeakable can feel all the others in the world. The more familiar you are with one, however, the stronger the pull. Because the four of us know each other, we're more in tune with each other." She looked at me. "For instance, Lela: If the two of us were looking for my friend Christine, I'd have better luck sensing her than you would because you've never met her."

I nodded; it made plenty of sense. Alex looked like he was only catching every other word. I slipped my hand into his, jarring him from his thoughts. He looked at me and grinned, sending my stomach-butterflies into a frenzy.

Nathanael clapped once, making the two of us jump. "I hate to interrupt your little moment, but this is sort of important, if you haven't noticed."

My face went red as we apologized.

The lesson was quickly ended when Elizabeth announced she'd made cookies. Nathanael jumped up immediately. "Lesson's over. Cookie time!"

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**Mmmmm... cookies...**

**Ko~ Sorry. just sneezed all over the keyboard... (eewww...)**

**Please review!**

**(I know I said I wasn't going to post ANs, but I'm tired to the point where I'll pretty much do or laugh at anything.)**


	57. Chapter 57

**AHHH! I'm sorry sorry sorry! It's SHORTTT! DX**

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Nothing hit us harder than the terror of March twelfth. We had been doing well in staving off the enemy—most of it was Nathanael and Elizabeth, though—and Lela was sleeping better than ever.

Lela and I were walking home from the café when we reached a touchy subject—her mom. It didn't take long for her to lose control of her Endow, and before I could grab her, she was gone. I immediately started searching—feeling—for her, and soon realized she was far out of my reach.

I took off down the sidewalk, knowing any subway or taxi would take too long. I hoped, and trusted, that Nathanael was with her, keeping her safe. I didn't even think to check where he was. Big mistake.

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**I didn't know how to make it longer, and it's crazy short now, and it changed POV after this, so i couldn't continue from-AHH! SORRY!**

**Please review!**


	58. Chapter 58

**If you wonder how the man seems to know more than any normal person should, it'll be clarified later. And you might understand it before the story tells you.**

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I found myself in totally unfamiliar territory. I recognized the generic, New York alley "décor," but I knew I wasn't anywhere I'd been in my life. The second thing I noticed was the total absence of anyone I knew. Alex hadn't been touching me when I jumped, and I couldn't sense Nathanael anywhere near me. It was about that time that I realized what sort of danger I was in.

A man strode down the alley toward me, looking as if he'd been waiting for me. My heart pounded in my chest as I turned and saw a van totally blocking the other end.

Before I could scream, the man had a hand over the entire bottom half of my face.

"Don't scream," he muttered with a grin. "It'll only make it worse."

Instead of crying out loud, I tried to send out a mental/emotional SOS signal, hoping Alex—or any nearby Unspeakables—would get the message. The man's eyes were dull and filled with lust. _Oh, man, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die_, I thought, feeling my eyes fill with tears. _No one's going to make it on time_.

As if reading my thoughts, the man smirked. "That's right," he said, "no one's here to save you."

He moved his hand to my throat and pushed me up against the van. He flipped out a pocket knife with a grin.

"Now don't you struggle too much," he said, flashing the fading sunlight into my face.

_No, no, no, no, no…_ I thought desperately. Then, just as I was about to lose all hope of rescue, I heard footsteps slapping their way down the sidewalk at the other end of the alley. The man looked like he was expecting something like this to happen; he quickly put himself behind me, holding the blade level with my collarbone.

"Don't move," he told the would-be rescuer. "Or she's as good as dead."

"Lela!" he cried. It was Alex. "Are you okay?"

"Shut up!" called the man.

"Let her answer me!"

The man shook me, and I took that to mean I had permission. "Alex!" I said, finally letting my tears fall freely. "Go away! Find Na—" I stopped when the man brought the blade up to my throat.

"You're done talking," the man grumbled.

"I can't," Alex said, his frame falling slightly. "That would mean Dalne wins—I can't let him win—not after all this!" He took a step toward us—the man responded by pressing the blade into my neck.

"Don't come any closer! And don't you think about running, either!" I could hear the sick, sadistic happiness in the man's voice. "You're going to stand right there until I'm done." He bent to whisper into my ear. "And then I'll kill both of you."

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**RAWR!**

**Note to YusukiShredder: Thanks for the update on my book. Your funny pro-Derek comments crack me up so much, I'm more distracted from the harshness of the other comments. So no worries. Also, anything Heather doesn't know, the reader doesn't know. I might have to have her wonder at it, but that's all I can do. Sorry for all the confusion-I wrote most of it back in ninth grade, so feel free to point out any mistakes I make. I won't take it too hard. ^^**

**Please review!**


	59. Chapter 59

**Sorry I can't update more right now-this is it until I can save Lela from the scary man. **

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I desperately felt for Nathanael, but his line was slack. Not to the point where he could've been dead, but he was definitely injured badly. I felt for Elizabeth too; she was somewhere near him, probably trying to find him as well. I was the only one who could help Lela, the only one she could count on, and I was as helpless as she was.

It was all I could do to keep from running at them; if the man hadn't had a knife, I would have. I could tell Dalne was having some influence on the man, if he hadn't wholly possessed him yet. The thought was scary, and looking at the man as he slowly backed all the way to his generic white van, I could swear he was about to rape her right in front of me. My insides felt as though they were torn to pieces as the thought occurred to me.

But then it seemed he had an instantaneous change of plans; he forced Lela into the van, shut the door, and drove off. I knew I couldn't catch up, but I felt like I had to try.

It was pointless to run after them when they were long gone. I sank to the ground, sobbing.

Elizabeth and Nathanael showed up moments later, looking almost haggard.

"Crap," Nathanael said, seeing my distraught state. "Just missed her."

Elizabeth ran a soothing hand over his back as he doubled over in pain. I caught the sight of blood on part of his shirt and running down his pant leg.

"You can't do anything when you're like this," she said. "It was hard enough for you to do it alone, but bringing me along didn't help you at all. We need to get you home."

I stared at her in disbelief. "Wh-what about Lela?"

Elizabeth looked directly into my eyes. "When Nathanael is better, he'll have all the time in the world to save her. Please, just let me get him home."

It looked like she was struggling with knowing what was going on with Lela and with how bad Nathanael looked.

I conceded, knowing she was right.

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**All of my writing looks like so much more on a Word document. Anyhoo, Happy Readings to all and to all a good night!**

**Please review! :)**


	60. Chapter 60

**Short-ish chapter. The paragraphs are fat, though. :)**

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As he was pulling me back toward the van, I noticed the man's entire attitude change. He threw me in the van, changing his original plan to torture both me and Alex. I was somewhat relieved, but I also went into panic mode when I realized Alex wouldn't be able to catch up. But I knew Nathanael could help me—eventually. The man, unconcerned with my safety, sped off, looking extremely agitated.

I wanted very badly to jump, but I was too worried—too stressed—to do it. I knew I had to wait for Nathanael if I was going to be safely transported home. Instead, I buckled myself in and waited for the ride to end, all the while keeping a lookout for anything familiar. But it seemed the man knew where I lived and was trying to get me as far away from the place as was possible.

The sky grew cloudy, blocking the sun's last rays of the day. By the time we reached the man's destination, he looked too stressed to bother with me. He dragged me inside the abandoned building, where a disgusting-looking bed and what looked like a bucket-chamber-pot were waiting. I reflexively recoiled away from them, but he forcefully dragged me over to the bed and handcuffed me to the headboard. Then he left me there.

I didn't know what to expect from him—maybe he'd come back in an hour or two, maybe he'd be gone for a few days, and I'd have nothing to eat or drink in the meantime. I sat on the floor against the wall, as far away from the bed and chamber pot as I could manage without dislocating my shoulder. There was one window in the single-room floor, on the same wall as the door. Stairs led up to the next floor, where I assumed lay more emptiness.

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**AAH! I'm sorry, paragraphs! You're not fat! You're just filled with information!**

**Please review!**


	61. Chapter 61

**I'm dragging out the kidnapping situation here. Rawr.**

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It was three days before Nathanael was fully recovered—and that was with Elizabeth's and my combined efforts of getting him back to normal. We had to routinely check him for marks, in case some were delayed in their appearance, and Liz had to change the dressings of his major injuries. He'd gotten them in the full-on fight he'd had with Dalne. Elizabeth was sure that Dalne had possessed the man that now held Lela captive.

It took all I had to keep a calm outer appearance every time I realized that Nathanael wouldn't be able to do anything yet. I didn't want to cry—make myself seem more like a sissy—in front of him, whether he was in too bad a condition to tease me or not.

Elizabeth finally declared him able to use his Endow on the morning of the third day.

"I'll be back soon," he said as he readied himself for time travel.

"I'm going with you."

"Alex, there is no telling how much we'll see when we get there. I may bring us to a point where…" he trailed off. "We'll have to go back to exactly when he arrives with her and go forward to the exact moment Dalne's at his most vulnerable—which will probably not actually exist, but we at least have to catch him off-guard. And we don't want Lela to lose any more time than she needs to." He wasn't making me feel any better.

"I'm going with you," I said, looking him straight in the eyes, "and there's nothing you can do or say that will make me stay behind."

He looked at me for a moment before throwing a look at his wife. Then, with another glance at me, he threw his hand in the air. "Alright! Fine. Just don't complain about the time-change."

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**:D**

**Please review!**


	62. Chapter 62

**Meanwhile, back in the kidnapper's hole...**

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Judging from the light coming in through the window, it was several hours before the man came back. I had thought about it while he was away, and decided that Dalne had possessed him—so technically it was Dalne who had kidnapped me.

It didn't make me feel any better about the situation, though.

When he came back, I sensed a whole new level of maliciousness. I noticed he'd gotten himself a gun; it was tucked into his pants. He glared at me for a moment before pulling it out and pointing it at me.

"Get up," he growled.

I scrambled to my feet, hoping Nathanael's perfect timing would come in handy soon. He undid my handcuff, which surprised and worried me. Then he stepped back, still pointing the gun in my general direction.

"Take everything off."

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. "What?" I asked, trying to stall.

"Everything. Off. Now." He shook the gun at me.

I started with my shoes. His impatience was freaking me out. I knew I wouldn't be able to jump anytime soon. _Hurry up, Nathanael_, I thought. _Before this guy rapes me would be nice!_

Soon, socks, jacket, and my shirt were off. I was getting goosebumps from the chilly air. Then, with a glare at the gun-wielding man, I unbuttoned my jeans and kicked them off.

Dalne stuffed the gun in the back of his pants before coming at me, flipping his knife out with his left hand. His other hand went around my waist, pulling me close. He smirked down at me, his dull eyes filled with triumph. I didn't give him the satisfaction of looking scared. In fact, I was wondering how he was going to do with a gun in a pair of pants he wasn't going to be wearing.

I managed to keep from reacting when I saw something appear past the man's shoulder.

In an instant, Dalne's host was on the ground, pistol-whipped by Nathanael in a time-pause, no doubt, and he himself—the black, seething mass that he was—was headed straight for me. Alex took my hand, and the light that he released washed out the whole room—no more Dalne; not even a shadow.

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**Go Nathanael! And Alex!**

**And Lela... go get some clothes on.**

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	63. Chapter 63

**Alex's POV of the rescue!**

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Nathanael took us back to the day Lela was taken before looking for her.

"If we save her, she won't be in the time between now and then," he said. I didn't exactly get it, but I didn't have to.

Her line led us to an old, abandoned building. Nathanael had to fast forward to a time when the white van was parked out front. Then he let time go as we watched the man, who was now obviously possessed, enter the building. We watched from a window as he approached Lela. Nathanael went forward a little—hardly a hiccup in time—to a point where the man had put his gun away and Lela was hardly half-dressed.

Nathanael then stopped time; keeping a hand on my arm, he took me inside to a spot right behind the man and played for a moment so Lela could see us. Then he stopped time again and took the gun from the man's waistband and bashed him over the head with it. Of course, the man didn't fall over until Nat started time up again.

I grabbed Lela's hand so that the hunter—released from his host—couldn't get us. But instead of giving her a little light for support, my relief at finding and saving her… well, it sort of exploded out of me in light form.

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**Sorry it was short.**

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	64. Chapter 64

**(Lela's in her undies!)**

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I realized I was in my underwear when Alex and Nathanael came to save me, but I was so relieved that I didn't really care. When Dalne disappeared, or whatever happened to him, I grabbed up my clothes and got redressed for the return trip home.

First, Nathanael brought us back to the time he and Alex had come from (_three days? Nathanael was sick for three days?_); then I jumped the three of us back to the bookstore.

Elizabeth was waiting for us, sipping at a mug of peppermint tea. I knew she was worried—peppermint tea is for when she's really stressing.

"How long were we gone?" Alex asked.

"About twenty minutes," Nathanael said. "I tried to put you back where you belong in the time stream—If you spend twenty minutes roaming around the past, I'll put you back at twenty minutes after you left. That way, no time is lost or gained."

Alex had slid an arm around my waist, holding me possessively by his side. "That makes sense," he replied.

Alex walked with me to the kitchen so I could make myself some pasta.

I got a box down from the cabinet, then turned around abruptly, running into Alex's chest.

"Oh—sorry," I said, stepping around him toward the stove. He put a hand on my shoulder and turned me to him.

"You were very brave back there," he said quietly.

I blushed and looked at the floor. "I took my clothes off at gunpoint. You call that brave?"

He brushed a stray hair from my face before kissing my forehead. "You didn't panic," he pointed out.

Then he took the box of noodles from my hand and put them on the counter behind me.

"Hey, I need that. Do you know how long it's been since I've eaten?"

"Three days," Alex said, grinning. "You can wait a little longer. I have to look for any marks Dalne might have left behind."

I sighed and let him search me. There was a big, nasty one on my shoulder, and another at the small of my back. Alex found a few more before he decided he would let me make and eat my pasta. Then he insisted I share with him.

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**I love writing these guys! And now my sister is forced to read them online instead of right after me writing them. Muahahahaha!**

**Please review!**


	65. Chapter 65

**Sorry I couldn't write more than this. I'm totally stuck.**

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I awoke from my dreams in a cold sweat. The dark shadow dreams had returned, and with a vengeance. It seemed the kidnapping had sparked it anew, and Dalne, or some other hunter that may or may not have taken his place, was using it to his advantage. Flashes of the man wielding a gun, a feeling of vulnerability, and the gnawing thought that Alex wasn't going to make it in time.

My heart was pounding as I rolled over and kicked my damp sheets off me, letting the cold air in. I shivered and hugged my pillow, waiting for the nausea to pass, though I knew it wouldn't. Eventually, I forced myself to get up and go knock on the Whitmores' door like a little kid.

Elizabeth readily got up and tended to my marks as she brewed us some caffeine-free chamomile tea. Nathanael just rolled over and made a grumbly noise.

"This could be some form of post-traumatic stress disorder," she said, drawing me from my musings as she probed my skin.

"Is that what this is?"

"Either that, or Dalne had a friend."

"Could it be both?"

"Mm... it's possible." She took the seat beside me. "That's it. They're gone."

I pressed my fingers to the place where the last mark was and felt nothing. The warmth from Elizabeth's light (and the tea) had filled me to the top, it seemed. We finished our tea, then headed upstairs.

"Do you think you could make it to the end of the night, now?" she asked when we got to the top of the stairs. I nodded and hugged her, catching her by surprise.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." I pulled away. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

She headed for her room, closing the door quietly behind her, but not before I heard Nathanael whine about her being gone for a hour. I laughed quietly to myself before returning to my bed.

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**Please review! I've only got one good reviewer, and she's the original author!**


	66. Chapter 66

**Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I posted-I have been TOTALLY stuck. Also, I've been working on one of my books. (That's the sequel, Kayla ;) )**

**I have one more chapter I'm working on currently, and I have no clue where the end is... =.= I have trouble ending my stories b/c I hardly think them through.**

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Whoever or whatever had replaced Dalne was just as bad, if not worse. He/she/it took some of Dalne's ideas (i.e. terrorizing Lela in her sleep) and made them worse. Not to mention whoever/whatever it was made attempts at us anytime we were isolated from each other. Like a bacterium that had mutated to survive through antibiotics and cause a scarier infection than the first.

That was why the Whitmores divided to watch us during the day. Since my parents put a limit on my "dates," we were apart a lot of the time. Nathanael watching me and Elizabeth staying home with Lela was the best arrangement. Sure, it split up the partnerships, but we were still paired Basis-Endow, so we'd all be pretty safe.

We were safest, though, on Saturdays—when my parents allowed me my weekly visits to "Lela's house." The four of us pretty much hung out and talked about the new hunter's strategies all afternoon.

It was hard to think about how the war was never over, and how all the Unspeakables could do was to keep the Primordial Darkness in check. I didn't want to think about how Lela and I were in constant danger.

Lela gave my hand a squeeze and brought me back to Earth.

"You okay?" she asked.

I nodded and faked a smile, knowing I'd have to explain my worries, which would in turn worry her.

It had been a few weeks since Lela had been abducted. School was going to end soon, and I was seriously considering making our partnership... well, legal. I knew my parents wouldn't approve, or would think that I'd gotten her pregnant or something. They're always doubting me like that. But I knew I'd be able to do it on my own after my birthday in July. No papers for my parents to sign—just me and Lela. And the Whitmores.

"You're really spacey today," Lela said. "Why?"

"No reason," I said, blushing at my thoughts of the future. I glanced down at her hand clasping mine. "I guess I'm a little tired. Are you going to finish your dessert?" I pointed at her half-eaten slice of banana cream pie.

"Are you kidding?" She laughed. "I am _stuffed_. Take it." She pushed it toward my empty plate.

I didn't really want her pie. Honestly, I just wanted to kiss her, but the Whitmores were playing Overprotective Parental Units. I ate it anyway because 1) I'd asked for it, 2) Lela expected me to (after I asked for it), and 3) Elizabeth makes some awesome pie.

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**Thanks for reading! :)**


	67. Chapter 67

**Sorry; this'll be the last chapter for a while. I have no clue how I'm going to make it last until the end, but don't worry-I'll come up with something!**

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I was really scared of the future. I mean, the world sort of depended on us, and people like us, to keep it safe. I hadn't been able to finish high school. My mom pretty much told me I was a slut, though I'd never given her a reason to, and told me not to come home. Well, that's what it had sounded like, anyway.

I hardly left the house anymore. I mean, I popped in and out of the library with Elizabeth sometimes, but only when I'd run out of books to read. She and I did all the grocery shopping as well, but only because Nathanael was sort of stuck with Alex all day (not that he couldn't go back in time and come with us, but that would just exhaust him and make him more vulnerable).

Six out of the seven weekdays were spent with Elizabeth at home, for the most part. Lucky her—she got to see Nathanael every night. I got the full brunt of the attack during the night because whatever hunter was now assigned to us specifically targeted me. It was because I was alone, and unable to protect myself with my inner light when I was asleep. It frustrated me that I was the "damsel in distress," and the "prince's" parents wouldn't let him come to the rescue. I had Elizabeth, but she was more like Juliet's nurse when Romeo wasn't around (yeah, weird image).

I always looked forward to Saturday. It was the one day of the week I got to spend with Alex, even though Nathanael and Elizabeth were stuck to us like glue. It wasn't that we couldn't be apart; they just thought we were safer with them around. And I guess they were right, because I often still had problems using what inner light I could reach.

The two of us still shared as much light as we could, as subtly as we could, through holding hands and stuff. At dinner, if Alex was looking a little tense, I'd try to send a bit of happiness through a knee bump.

One weekend, sometime in May, he was especially distant. I snapped him out of it a few times. Elizabeth and Nathanael weren't ignorant of his far-off stares either.

I would look up from my plate and see their confused looks before turning to look at my partner (ack, I _still_ get chills when I say that), who was pushing his food around his plate.

That night, Elizabeth and Nathanael let me walk home with him for the first time in forever. Nathanael was watching us and with Elizabeth at the same time.

"Anything new?" he asked as we turned a corner.

"Not really. Elizabeth and I go out sometimes, but not very much. What about you?"

"My parents think I'm out to get you and your virtue, or whatever. But that's nothing new."

I laughed when we passed under a streetlamp and I saw he was blushing.

"Do you think I could visit again sometime?" I asked, linking my arm with his.

"Are you kidding? Mom would be thrilled! I just don't know if Nathanael can handle the stress of watching over us and Elizabeth for an extended period of time." Alex shrugged.

"Oh, actually, Elizabeth says that as long as your house is a 'happy place,' and we're not apart for too long, we'll be fine without Nathanael."

"As long as you're there, it'll be a happy place. My dad is glad I'm doing something normal for once, and my mom absolutely _loves_ you."

"Well, that's good." We stopped in front of his building, where he leaned down to kiss me—but he paused, and instead whispered in my ear, his cheek brushing mine.

"I love you, Lela." That was the first time he'd said it out loud (sort of).

I was sort of stunned for a minute, really unable to say anything, let alone return the sentiments. He pulled back and looked expectantly into my eyes, and I managed a feeble reply before my throat tightened up with the arrival of emotional tears.

He smiled stupidly—in a way that would have made me laugh if he weren't looking at me—and leaned toward me again. This time, one hand around my waist, the other cradling my face, he did kiss me. I wasn't too happy when he pulled away; he just laughed and told me his parents were going to think the worst and shorten our time together even further.

I watched him go in before jumping back to the living room, where Elizabeth was reading, so she could see I was home before I went up to my room. Not that I'd be able to sleep anyway. I grabbed my journal before hopping into my bed to write down the day's events.

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**Thanks so much! I'll be working on the next chapter for those of you who have stuck around. ^^**


	68. Chapter 68

**Thanks for reading! I finally got the last 3 chapters typed. SOO excited, and relieved to finish it the way I did. :)**

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That night, I lost what machoness I had left. It was totally worth it though.

And my parents didn't even freak when I came home late because I told them Lela was going to visit again soon.

I talked it over with Nathanael, and he said any night the next week was fine, but I had to get Lela home before ten.

"Bad things happen after dark," he said, trying to sound sagely, but just making himself sound annoying.

"Don't you think I already know that?" I elbowed him.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to respect your elders?" he asked.

"Something like that," I said, dodging his elbow.

Lela looked excited to be going back to my place. I wasn't sure if it was the hugs, or the eagerness of my parents, but whatever it was had her lit up like a Christmas tree. I couldn't help but smile back when she beamed up at me as we left.

"What's for dinner?" she asked, slipping her hand into mine.

"I'm not sure. Nothing as good as Elizabeth's stuff, but it's not a microwave dinner, at least."

She laughed. "I'll be happy with anything."

"I hope you mean that," I said, wrinkling my nose.

"Aw, you're so mean!" She laughed, bumping my arm.

We reached my apartment building a bit faster than we had in the past; Lela was eager to get there.

"Lela, I'm so glad you could come!" my mom exclaimed when we opened the door. She wrapped her arms around Lela, who actually hugged back this time.

My dad automatically grinned at Lela, then winked at me. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as we sat down at the table. That was when the onslaught of questions started. After a minute, the one question that I had been dreading came up.

"So, Lela," my mom started, "What are you planning on doing after high school?"

Lela visibly went white and squeezed my hand a little harder. My mom noticed.

"Are you okay?" she asked, putting the casserole down on the counter. "Did I say something?"

Lela gave me an imploring look. I answered for her, trying to come up with a feasible answer. "Lela's been having family issues. She's had to quit school to help out her mom." I sent a little light Lela's way. The tears I was afraid she would let fall stopped in their tracks; she wiped them from her eyes, giving me a shaky smile.

"Oh, I am so _sorry_," mom said, taking Lela into another hug.

Dad pulled me from Lela's side, taking me into my room. "Alex," he said in a low voice so he wouldn't be heard in the next room. "How serious are you about this girl?"

I shifted my weight, wondering if it was a trick question. "Pretty serious, Dad." I quickly amended it with, "But I _swear_ we haven't done anything serious."

He mulled over what I'd said, giving me his intense, lie-finding look. "Alright," he said after what seemed like an eternity of scrutiny. "You know you can't break this girl's heart," he said in an equally serious tone.

"I know, Dad. I couldn't anyhow." I felt my face flush. "I love her too much." The solidness and sincerity of my voice seemed to convince him.

He nodded and took me back out to the table, where I saw Lela waiting for me. Her grin at my return sent a flood of light through my entire body, not too unlike that first time we'd kissed.

I grinned back, taking my seat at her side.

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**Sorry it's almost over! But I hope you'll like it. :)**


	69. Chapter 69

**One of the best chapters I've written. :D**

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After the almost-incident, I noticed Alex being taken into another room by his dad, who had an intense look on his face. Alex's mom began to work furiously to finish making dinner; there was an awkwardness in the air from her last question.

I waited impatiently for Alex to return. When his bedroom door finally opened to reveal a blushing Alex, I grinned up at him, glad to have him there to alleviate the heavy awkwardness in the air. He grinned back, sending light through me like a shock, before coming to sit beside me.

Dinner was great; I hadn't had shepherd's pie in so long. When I saw it on my plate, I automatically thought back on my days in a happy family, when my mom used to cook from scratch all the time. This time the thought didn't hurt me, because I knew I was in a happy family once again. Just one that had _really _good food from scratch.

The Mitchells avoided the more personal questions. As the Whitmores had predicted, the apartment was a happy environment. There was so much light, or whatever it was, that flooded that little room that it was impossible for any hunter to have any influence there.

At about nine-thirty, after dinner and a game of Bezzerwizzer (me and Alex against his parents. Needless to say, they won.), Alex told his parents he'd better get me home soon, or my mom would have a fit. They complied, noticing my fake-anxious facial expression.

When we were going down the stairwell, Alex stopped walking, and I nearly took a headlong dive down to the next flight of stairs. He grabbed my arm in time, pulling me back to him.

"Looks like you're still a danger magnet," he said, grinning down at me.

"That one was your fault," I replied, unable to resist grinning back.

"Hm," he said thoughtfully. "How about I make up for it?" He sat down on a step higher up, tugging me gently down next to him.

I didn't understand what he was saying, but went along with it.

"Lela," he started in a low tone, as if someone might be listening, looking intensely into my eyes. "You are the best friend I'll ever have." he took my hand between his, pressing his lips to each of my fingertips before continuing. "You're my partner." He let his light seep into me, not taking his eyes away from my face. "And nothing will _ever_ change that." Suddenly I understood what he was doing. My heart hammered against my ribs as he reached into his back pocket, quietly presenting a small, black velvet box. I swallowed around the lump in my throat, gingerly taking the box into my hands and opening it.

It held a thin silver band with a small, pale blue stone in it. I had a feeling it cost more than it looked like it did.

"How did you—" Alex cut me off with just a look.

"Lela," he started again, his voice barely a whisper. I could feel my eyes welling up with tears. "Will you marry me?"

Unable to say anything, I threw my arms around his neck, nearly knocking the both of us down the stairs.

He laughed as he pried my arms from around his neck so he could look at me. "I'm guessing that's a 'yes.'"

I nodded, letting out a shaky laugh and wiping the tears from my face. He took me into a kiss, the intensity of which was much stronger than any we'd ever shared.

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**Are you as excited as me?**

**The last chapter is an Epilogue-I hope you guys like it!**


	70. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

That night I had gone home giddier than ever. Elizabeth had told me I looked as though I were glowing. I could have been; my light was the brightest it had ever been. She didn't mention, or simply didn't notice, the ring I was wearing.

What sleep I got that night was the best sleep I'd had in a long time.

It was after Alex's birthday (July 16) that we were doing the last preparations for the wedding. It was insane to think we had known each other for only six and a half months. I felt like I'd lived an entire lifetime with him already.

I opted not to tell my mom about it; there was no telling how she would take it.

When Alex had first proposed, I wondered how he'd been able to pay for the ring (which had, after all, a blue diamond in it). It turned out that he'd had a job, and had been fired the day before I met him. (The reason he'd been roaming the subway tunnels was for a totally different reason. The foot-traffic was horrible that day, so he just decided to walk home from school via a longer, but quicker, route.)

The wedding bands and the wedding itself was paid for by Elizabeth's rich friends in Boston. They didn't find it a bother at all, and it was very nice of them to do so for our sake. Elizabeth lent me her wedding dress, which was considered, by all means, to be an antique. I didn't want to wear it—it looked as though it could fall apart—but Elizabeth insisted that it would be fine. Once I tried it on, it did seem rather sturdy for an antique.

"Stop calling it that!" she said, pinning the hem up the extra two inches it needed if I was going to wear it—I was a bit shorter than her. "You're making me feel old!"

~**Alex**~

My parents were, as I'd predicted, totally opposed to such an early marriage. They had no say, though, because it was going to happen after my eighteenth birthday anyway.

I got a job at the café so I could save up money to make up for what I'd spent on Lela's ring, which had put a large dent in my college fund. It didn't matter, though, because the look on her face was totally worth it.

By the time my birthday came around, I'd gotten back about half of what I'd spent on the ring, which was better than I'd expected. But at that point, I didn't have any bills or anything to pay, so pretty much everything went into my savings account.

Eventually, my parents came around—my mom first, because she's soft-hearted, then my dad, who's always agreeing with my mom. They helped pay for my tux and the honeymoon.

"Are you sure about this?" my mom asked as she took my measurements.

"Mom, I have never been so sure about anything in my life," I told her with conviction.

"Good," she said, "because Lela deserves a surety more than you deserve her."

I knew then that I was fully forgiven for what I'd done.

~**Lela**~

The wedding went off without a hitch—well, except for that thing with Nathanael. He'd grown out his facial hair to look older, just so he could walk me down the aisle. Alex's parents were skeptical about him, but we told them later that Nathanael was one of my uncles. They also wanted to know where my mom was, and Alex had to tell them that she wasn't a very good mom, which was the biggest truth he'd ever told them about my life.

When the ceremony was over, I couldn't believe it was finally done. Alex wasn't just my partner anymore—he was my husband, and would be for the rest of our lives.

Elizabeth's friend from Boston and his family had come to see the wedding they'd paid so much for. It was easy to tell which pair was the "oldest," but I had to look close to see that the younger-looking couple were the friend and his wife. I could easily assume, then, that of the other partnership, the woman was their daughter, the man their son-in-law. On the other side of the couple sat a young boy. Possibly somewhere between the ages of eight and ten, he looked fairly uncomfortable in his suit, and was definitely their son.

At the reception, Elizabeth introduced us.

"Lela, this is Joseph Gibson, his wife Natalie, and their children Diana and Abraham." I shook their hands in that order; Abraham did so reluctantly.

Diana's husband/partner was over by the cake, talking with Nathanael.

Alex, who'd disappeared for a moment, appeared behind me, taking my left hand in his.

"Alex," Elizabeth said, "These are my friends from Boston. They're the ones who took care of the wedding." She went on to tell him their names.

He nodded his greetings, softly running his thumb over the gold band on my finger.

~**Alex**~

The reception was nice, besides my parents questioning the presence of every young person at the wedding.

I had to tell them that the Gibsons were Lela's cousins from Boston—easier than saying family friends from Boston—and the utter absence of adults from Lela's family was due to the fact that one of them was very sick, and couldn't leave Boston; the rest stayed to make sure he was fine.

After Lela and I shoved cake in each other's faces, had some pictures taken, and everyone had eaten, Lela threw the bouquet. I snickered when it landed in a startled Abraham's lap.

~**Lela**~

We left for the airport soon after. Alex's parents and the Gibsons had split the cost of the honeymoon—we were going to D.C. It wasn't the most romantic place, but we liked the thought of walking around and visiting the Smithsonian and some of the monuments, just the two of us.

I never had a bad-night's sleep again.

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